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The government of Kenya has honoured her pledge by laying a synthetic running track at Kenyatta University before the start of the World Under 20 Championships in Nairobi next month.

The track laid by Mondo track and field engineers on Wednesday at the higher learning institution, would have been athlete’s village centre is now purely a legacy project both for the World Under 18 and 20 Championships.

This even comes as the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the World Under 20 Championships secured bubble hotels for the global event.

According to Vincent Onywera-Registrar-Research, Innovation and Outreach at KU, the project is monumental for the varsity that also hosted the Athletes Village for the IAAF World Under-18 Championships four years ago.

“We also expect that this facility will make a contribution in addressing the issue of non communicable diseases because people are sitting more, living sedentary lifestyle and eating unhealthy food.

So this is more than just a sports facility, but a place for teaching, research and community engagement,” he offered.

Onywera further saying the project will make a contribution to the new education system, the Competency Based Curriculum CBC that has put alot of emphasis on physical education, sports excercise and sports science.

“I am looking at a scenario where schools will use the facility to host the East Africa Championships, the African Championships. So international and local participants should expect a world class warm up and competition area that is quite similar to what is at the Kasarani Complex,” he explained.

The researcher explaining that the facility will not only be of importance to the institution but rather a national facility that will be used by other varsities for the betterment of sports will drawing participants from across the country.

“I want to thank the government of Kenya for creating an enabling environment that is supportive to the growth and development of not only for sports but also active health living.

We at Kenyatta University are very excited and happy for this legacy facility,” shared Onywera.

Last week hotel management signed a contract with the LOC where World Athletics family will be hosted in designated hotels during the Championships next month.

LOC’s chief executive officer Mike Rabar has since explained why it will be viable to have the athletes in small bubbles in different hotels as opposed to having big groups in one place in the current covid-19 scenarios.

“It will be easier to have teams in small bubbles at designated hotels during the world junior event than having them all at the Games Village at the Kenyatta University.

In cases of COVID-19 positive cases, it will surely be easier to manage the situation with few numbers,” revealed Rabar ahead of the global event going down on 17-22 August at Kasarani which has attracted more than 120 member federations countries with up to 1300 athletes expected to participate.