Kenya expects to take 100 athletes to 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Kenya expects to take a team of 100 athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. This was disclosed yesterday National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) Secretary General Francis Mutuku during a meeting with the Sports and Culture Committee to deliberate on the preparedness of Team Kenya ahead of the Games.

Mutuku who was flanked by NOCK president Paul Tergat at the appraisal meeting at Continental House in Nairobi yesterday, said the 100 athletes which had been increased from 87 that represented the country at the last Games in Tokyo, will take part in 13 events for the 19 days event and exuded confidence that Kenya will excel.

“This 33rd Olympics for us is special because it marks 60 years since Kenya won its first medal. We will want to make sure the 19 days Team Kenya will be in Paris will be successful.

We are a new team with fresh ideas and after the Rio 2016 drama,we definitely want a new leaf. Preparing for the Olympics is hectic because it involves Qualifications, Training,Funding and also Resource mobilization. With team events and individual events,we expect of course a lot of pre-planning involved which already is ongoing with disciplines like Women’s Volleyball,Boxing and 3×3 Basketball with Qualifiers slated for Morocco,Cameroon and Tunisia,” stated Mutuku who also addressed issues of Doping Management, Kit Availability and Gender Rights Protection particularly with focus on female Athletes.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Sports and Arts led by Webuye East Member of National Assembly Dan Wanyama, posed hard questions to NOCK and Ministry of Sports over the continuous challenge of athletes welfare ahead of the Games.

Sports Principal Secretary Engineer Peter Tum was hard pressed to explain the financial position of the parent Ministry so that Athletes feel well suited to perform. With the ugly Rio 2016 fiasco being revisited by Members of the Committee, Tum had to be convincing and vowed that no Kenyan representative in the summer Olympics will feel left out.

“The issue of funding is at high levels of discussion and so all is on course at least with regards to Paris 2024.We would want our Athletes to have a clear mind and so it is our undertaking and promise that we shall be able to meet all requirements.

We have good productive and regular consultation with NOC-K who I have to commend for a stellar job. It is our intention that this issue is expedited so that preparations go on smoothly,”said the PS who was addressing Nominated MP Jackson Kosgei.

dditionally, the PS who was flanked by the Director of Sports in the Ministry, Jackson Gitonga, intimated to the Committee that earlier he had met the top leadership of the Sports Fund on avenues of making monies available for Team events in the forthcoming calendar. “We have rationalised the budgets and we must spend wisely. Only the necessary personnel will be traveling with defined roles.”