Kenya aims for bigger bite of Olympic cherry

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) is optimistic more disciplines will qualify athletes for the Tokyo Olympic Games this year.

Currently, athletics (47 athletes), men’s and women’s rugby teams and two swimmers constitute “Team Kenya” to this year’s Olympics planned for July 24 to August 9.

“As we start off the year, we are proud that a very impressive number of our great athletes have qualified for the Olympics. We congratulate all the athletes and the federations behind this great work. This has been a product of focus, discipline and hard work from the individual athletes,” said NOC-K acting Secretary General Francis Mutuku in a statement.

The first quarter of the year (January to March) will see various disciplines participate in their respective qualifiers. Volleyball women’s team, “Malkia Strikers,” will participate in the Africa Olympic qualifiers from January 5 to 9 in Cameroon where they will battle Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria and Botswana for the sole slot reserved for the continent.

Their beach volleyball counterparts have been training in Mombasa ahead of the zonal qualifiers scheduled for January 9 to 12 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The women’s team will be looking to join the men’s team in the second round of the African qualifiers. The men’s handball team, that has never qualified for the Olympics, is currently in training and will be in Egypt from January 15 to 25 for the Africa Olympic qualifiers.

CYCLING TEAM

“We are highly hopeful that we shall get more athletes qualifying and we wish them a very successful bid,” said Mutuku.

February will be a busy month with karate, tae kwon do and wrestling having their Africa qualifiers in Morocco.

The cycling team will have their continental Championships in Ethiopia also next month while table tennis and canoe slalom will have their qualifying events in Tunisia and France, respectively.

Africa qualifiers for boxing will be held in Senegal in March and another window for qualification will be staged in France for world additional slots.

“As NOC-K, we are committed to supporting all federations through their qualifying campaigns and structures are in place to ensure effective participation for all qualified athletes,” assured Mutuku.

STEERING COMMITTEE

In November, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed named Team Kenya’s Steering Committee for the Games.

The Cabinet Secretary will chair the 18-strong committee with her alternate being Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia.

Kenya National Sports Council Chairman Nderitu Gikaria and National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President Paul Tergat are in the Steering Committee along with Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei.

Kenya Volleyball Federation President Waithaka Kioni will also sit on the committee. Kioni is also the “Team Kenya” Chef de Mission (head of delegation) to Tokyo.

Others named to the committee to help drive the final preparations for the Tokyo Games and cover various interests are NOC-K Secretary General Francis Mutuku, former Athletics Kenya official Mary Chege, Tennis Kenya President James Kenani, Netball Kenya President Immaculate Kabutha and Kenya Table Tennis Federation President Andrew Mudibo.

Also in the Steering Committee is Moses Mbuthia of the Kenya Volleyball Federation, Kenya Paralympic Federation President Agnes Oluoch, Peter Kilonzo from the Kenya Rugby Union and NOC-K Vice President Shadrack Maluki.

HIT THE GROUND

The rest are Florence Amoit, Japson Gitonga, Rose Wachuka Macharia, Peter Mbugua (all from the State Department of Sports) and journalist Elias Obanyi Makori.

The Cabinet Secretary’s appointment letters were sent out last month with the team expected to hit the ground running immediately after the festive season.

“The Management Committee meetings continue in January and will be held every month until March and twice a month thereafter. The Central Management team will be meeting twice a month all through to the Olympics,” said Mutuku.

The athletics trials slated for June 19 to 21 will mark an end to the qualification campaigns and pave way for the competition proper late July. The Olympics will be returning to Japan for the first time since 1964.