Author: Dennis Okeyo
AfricaPress-Kenya: The impact of COVID-19 on sporting events continues to give athletes and officials some sleepless nights.
Countless restrictions on travel, activities or even social gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic have had countless implications on athletes and the Kenyans have not been an exception.
Each day seems a trying moment to the hundreds of them, seeing that they’re been rendered jobless, if not competitively, inactive. Truly, these have been trying times.
But in the wake of all the tribulations, the government and Athletics Kenya continues to come to the aid of the suffering youngsters.
With dates for the rescheduled World Under-20 Championships yes to be announced, thousands of under-20 athletes have had to make do with stipends as they await new dates for the international event scheduled for Nairobi.
Since sporting competitions were postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most Kenyan athletes including junior athletes, who were preparing for the global event have been pushed into tight corners because they depend on earnings from competitions.
The athletes are drawn from 19 camps that had been placed under the Athletics Kenya (AK) training programme to prepare them for the national trials ahead of the global event. It was meant for July 7-12, at Kasarani Stadium.
“Today, we were focusing on our athletes from Nairobi region who are among those in the 19 camps we established across the country to prepare for the World Under-20 Championships,” said AK President Jackson Tuwei.
Tuwei also said that Kenya is in discussion with World Athletics on the appropriate dates for the under-20 event.
“We are still in discussion with World Athletics on when we can have the championships. We are still pushing for the event to be held next year although they were proposing for it to be pushed to 2022,” said Tuwei.
After Nairobi, the food programme will head to Malindi then Garissa.
Meanwhile, National Olympics Committee of Kenya in partnership with Kenya National Sports Council and Kenya Paralympic have launched food distribution for their 89 veteran sportsmen and women, who are in need.
Dubbed ‘one for the champions’, the drive was launched by Sports CS Amina Mohammed yesterday, at Nyayo Stadium and will run for three months.
“We want to send them money and ensure they have something to support them during this tough times,” said Amina.
“We will be able to reach out to all the 89 identified veterans ,” said NOC-K Secretary General Mutuku.
