Athletes' conference kicks off

Athletes Kenya athletes’ conference gets underway on Thursday morning at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi.

The three-day conference whose them ‘s “Back on Track” will lined up speakers take athletes through various topics such personal finance, contracts, sports medicine, anti-doping, ethics and career development.

The organizing committee chairman David Miano said that athletes will also be taken through visa application procedures. “We shall have officers from key embassies in Kenya including the United States and United Kingdom as well as Athletics Kenya enlighten the athletes on travel and visa,” he said.

Among key speakers who will get the conference rolling will be the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Wilfred Bungei who will talk about the life of elite athletes and the challenges they face. Bungei has had a publicised struggle with alcoholism and lifestyle challenges.

Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) officials Raphael Roux and Kumar Aditiya alongside AK public relations officer Evans Bosire will deliver lectures on values and ethics.

Celebrated coach Patrick Sang, who won two silver medals in 3,000m steeplechase chase at the 1991 Tokyo and 1993 Stuttgart World Championships, will on Friday talk about career development.

Mike Boit, who is a professor at Kenyatta University in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science, will lead plenary discussion on education and sports. Representaives from Kenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Investment are expected to take attendants through personal finance, investment and taxation.

Renowned sports lawyer Elias Masika will on Saturday give a talk and a moderate a session on sports law and contracting.

Miano noted that this conference is important for the athletes since they will need to know why Kenya has been ranked in Category A which include those countries that are most at risk of doping.

The category has Kenya, Ethiopia, Belarus and Ukraine. “This category will have its athletes doing three out-of-competition doping test within 10 months before taking part in any World Championships or Olympic Games,” said Miano.

Among the elite runners expected to attend the three-day conference include world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge, four-time New York marathon champion Mary Keitany, two-time Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha, three-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor, London marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot and World and Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion Elijah Manang’oi.

Also expected are world 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri, world 1,500m silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot, former world javelin champion, Julius Yego, world and Olympic 3,000m champion Conseslus Kipruto and Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepngetich among others.