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World Athletics Under-20 Local Organising Committee chairman Jackson Tuwei has assured the world that the country is on course to stage a prestigious event in August.

He said the country has put measures in place to ensure that the event is not only safe from the currently Covid-19 pandemic but also secured from other threats.

“There is no cause for alarm. We successfully hosted the 2017 World Under-17 Championships here at Kasarani and we hope we will have an even better World Under-20 Championships in August,” he said.

Tuwei was speaking at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, where he received kits for officials and volunteers for the event.

He said they are waiting for more consignments consisting of technical, training and competition equipment. He said they expect everything to be shipped in by latest July.

Tuwei, who is also the Athletics Kenya chairman, said he expects the World Athletics team to arrive in Kenya next month for the final inspection and it is currently a race against time to ensure everything is aligned.

“Already we are at 80 per cent as far as the stadium is concerned and we hope to be ready in the next one month,” he said.

“At least we are somewhere and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, we have had our challenges with the main one being Covid-19, but judging from the progress, I am happy to say we are very much on course.” 

He said the LOC offices are ready while the warm up field and the media centre are in progress.

He said athletes from around the globe have missed action for a long time and the World Under-20 will be a good stage to relaunch themselves.

He said the event will not only provide a forum for competition but also an opportunity to sample the country’s hospitality.

LOC CEO Mike Rabar said he is happy everything is taking shape and it is all systems go with 97 days left to the championships.

“We are now looking at the milestones and the timelines. This equipment that we have received is for specific groups, and we will distribute it at the right time to the right users,” he said.