Even as marathoner Eric Kiprono Kiptanui awaits answers from National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) after the body failed to enter him in the team for Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, another athlete is lamenting what has been a terrible treatment in England.

African Games 800m silver medallist Cornelius Tuwei is not likely to compete in today’s heats after he too was not entered in the Kenyan team for the Club Games.

In what could be termed as heartbreaking and incompetence from NOCK officials, Tuwei feels the country deserves proper answers for all the mishaps.

Their concerns come on a day that the Games’ Chief de Mission John Ogolla blamed the confusions currently being witnessed, to late athlete entries.

“I am not going to talk about the weeks I sacrificed to train for Commonwealth. No. I want to share my horrible experience since I arrived in Birmingham. I have to sneak in to the village because I don’t have accreditation, because someone forgot to register me. I am not in the system, so nothing is working for me,” Tuwei shared in a distressing interview with People Sport from Birmingham yesterday. The athlete who arrived in Birmingham on 30th July was slatted to compete on Wednesday August 3 with his return ticket booked for August 10 after the end the Games.

“Sometimes I use a fake accreditation to access the canteen where accredited athletes eat from, sometimes friends sneak me in or or get just enough food to share with me. It is unfortunate living like this.It is difficult to eat because I got no accreditation.”

“What is more disturbing, none of those responsible has come to talk to me,” added Tuwei who is not able to access the Alexander stadium in Birmingham where the athletics calendar commenced yesterday, because of lack of accreditation.

And he is not alone, steeplechaser Amos Kirui, is also in the same boat, as he was not entered to compete. 

“I should just return home than being here, therefore maybe I can be able to compete in other races abroad, but I can’t because my return ticket reads August 8th,” added Tuwei.

Tuwei and Kirui had replaced World Under-20 Championships’ 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Abraham Kibiwott, respectively. Wanyonyi and Kibiwott competed at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

Ogolla yesterday said: “ Late athlete entries has caused all these issues. There are certain conditions that you have to comply with, unfortunately we tried to change that but due to Commonwealth Games policy in terms of athlete entries, we were unable to do so, but it should go on record that we tried our best.”

“We will look at our processes when we go back home, so that in future we are not bonded by such policies,” Ogolla said.

A dejected Kiptanui says he will wait as long as it takes to get the root course of what happened.

“I can never get that opportunity back. Talk of wasted time among other things, and all that, going by the effort I had put, I strongly feel I was going to win that gold medal, so yes forgive me for demanding answers,” said Kiptanui whose  name was missing in the starting line-up with one Eric Kiplagat Sang having wrongly entered in his place.

Kiptanui says he sacrificed training time to reach Birmingham, especially after most of Kenya’s top stars avoided taking up places in Team Kenya for the Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championship.

While the 32-year-old had only represented Kenya once in 1,500 metres at the 2016 Africa Senior Athletics Championships where he finished seventh in the final is still in Birmingham, People Sport understands his stable Global Sport Management Group has already made arrangements for him to travel from Birmingham on Wednesday, so unlike Tuwei and the rest, he will not have to wait until next week.