Africa-Press – Kenya. A provisional squad of 120 Under-17 players has been named ahead of the Youth Olympic Games qualifier planned for August in Morocco. This marks the first step in Kenya’s bid to secure slots at the global showpiece in Dakar. The squad will be trimmed to 60 in July, before the final travelling teams — 40 players across both boys’ and girls’ categories — are selected for the North African assignment.
According to Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) development officer Ronald Okoth, the selected players will attend a mini-training camp before departure as preparations intensify.
At the Morocco qualifier, 12 teams will compete, with the top four nations in each category booking tickets to the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, scheduled for October 31 to November 13. Okoth revealed that the initial training camp had been planned for April but was pushed to July due to the Term One ball games in Kisumu and ongoing Kenya Academy of Sports camps.
“We were looking at starting our training in April, but due to the championship and camps, we were forced to take it later in the year,” said Okoth.
He expressed confidence in the depth and quality of talent available, citing the recent HSBC Under-17 tournament at Nyayo Stadium as evidence of the country’s strength in the age grade.
“We have top talents in both categories and a pool of over 200 players. That allows us to nurture them into future Shujaa and Lionesses players,” he added.
Okoth noted there is adequate time to build combinations and team chemistry ahead of the qualifier, hinting that coaches could be drawn from Rift Valley, Central, or Nairobi sides that excelled at the HSBC Under-17 tournament and last year’s Safari Sevens.
