Athletics Kenya pushes for indoor arenas
Athletics Kenya (AK) has urged the government to be steadfast in the construction of an indoor arena if the country is to excel in international competitions.
AK Nairobi branch chairman Barnaba Korir said that as much as the country is teeming with talent in indoor athletics, her runners cannot successfully challenge their foreign counterparts due to a lack of infrastructure.
“We continue churning out great talent in indoor athletics but the problem is that we do not have facilities at our disposal and that’s why the government should be committed to putting in place the same if we are to post the desired results,” said Korir.
The official made the remarks in the wake of what many felt was a tepid performance by Kenya in the just-concluded World Indoor Championships held in Serbia.
Kenya won silver through Noah Kibet’ (men’s 800) and bronze courtesy of Abel Kipsang (1500 metres).
Blanket condemnation
In retrospect, Korir said some Kenyan athletes gave a good account of themselves under difficult circumstances, adding that blanket condemnation of them is hardly the way to motivate them in future events.
“It’s quite unfortunate that many have chosen to look at what went wrong at the Championships. Granted, criticism is always welcome and we as humans can never avoid disappointment,”
He added: “Such analysis or post mortem of our athletes’ performance should be constructive to identify a solution to get better returns at the next international meetings.”
Korir urged Kenyan athletics fans to look at the positives of Team Kenya in Serbia and singled out 17-year-old Noah Kibet as one of those who punched above his weight despite making his maiden appearance on the senior team.
