Malkia Strikers first team sport to leave for Japan tomorrow
The national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, will be the first batch of sportspersons to leave the country for Tokyo Games on tomorrow evening.
A traveling schedule released yesterday by Olympics Kenya secretariat says the men Rugby Sevens team Shujaa and women side Kenya Lionesses will be the second batch to leave on Sunday.
Next week will be the turn of track and field athletes with sprinters set to leave on July 13 for the pre-Olympics training base in Kurume City.
Chef de Mission for Tokyo Olympics Waithaka Kioni says plans have been put in place to ensure safe travel for all the teams.
“Going by the prevailing COVID-19 conditions, we have been advised by the organisers that it will be safer for teams to arrive in small groups in Tokyo.
This is aimed avoiding the risk of the whole team getting quarantined in case of Covid-19 cases,” said Kioni.
Kioni who was due to leave for Tokyo yesterday evening with some officials said with strict Covid-19 protocols and testing expected in Tokyo, arrival in small numbers was strongly recommend.
“I am happy our athletes and teams have been able to train condusively here in Nairobi.
This couldn’t have been possible without the support of the Government, the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Amina Mohamed and her team at the Ministry of Sports.
Their steadfast leadership especially now when we are faced with Covid-19 challenges was something to admire,” said Kioni who was accompanied to Tokyo by Chief Executive Officer, Wangui Kibe, athletes’ representative, Humphrey Kayange and Covid-19 liaison officer, Susan Adhiambo.
Kioni revealed that the bigger number of the athletics team will depart on July 23, while the marathon teams will leave the country on August 1.
