New paralympic boss vows to make sport vibrant
Newly-elected Kenya National Paralympics Committee (KNPC) chairperson Ronald Milare has outlined his vision for the federation saying that paralympians in the country should brace themselves for good times ahead.
Speaking to People Daily in Nairobi on Monday, Milare regretted the fact that very few athletes missed qualification to international para-sporting events and that it was high time for the country to reclaim its lost glory at the global level.
“During my times when I was an athlete and later an official, we did well and the federation was open to all and sundry. We have to be honest and open as a priority now will go to affiliate federations so as to exploit all paralympic sports available,” Milare said.
The politician was a para-sprinter in the 100m and 200m and finalized his athletics career with para taekwondo before vying for the Secretary General’s (SG) position, a mandate he held from 2006-2014.
“The last Paralympics championships that Kenya participated in was awful. We only got one medal as we concentrated in only running while ignoring different other sports,” Milare said describing the current paralympic situation in Kenya and added that the problem was ignoring different other sports and not nurturing grassroot talents, something that is a top priority to him.
The KNPC chairperson and his team wants to partner with the ministry of education so as to have a hand in primary and secondary schools for persons with disabilities across the country, a place where he says is the foundation of Para-sports.
His second priority will be to lure potential partners and sponsors from private and corporate companies, something that Milare says if successful will enable the federation to hold many local and national competitions that will prepare Kenyan Paralympians for international assignments in conjunction with the government.
Milare and his team will now begin a four-year term with a huge responsibility of uniting the 14 affiliate federations and develop paralympic sports in Kenya again with priority given to all the sports involved as per the affiliate federations.
