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Julius Yego is appalled by the initial decision from government to send just one athlete per category to represent the country at the African Games.
World 2015 javelin champion Julius Yego is worried for the future of athletics in Kenya after the government, through Kenya National Sports Council, had initially made it clear that only one athlete per category would be representing the country at the upcoming African Games.
Yego was among the angry athletes who led a boycott during the national trials at the Nyayo National Stadium as a result.
The move was arrived at after the Kenya National Sports Council argued that there was a lack of funds to facilitate many athletes.
Eventually, the government did succumb to the pressure by the athletes to increase the slots, but Yego has now revealed a big worry for the future of athletics in Kenya.
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18:02 - 05.03.2024
ATHLETICS Government yields to pressure, agrees to increase African Games slots for athletes after standoff at trials
The government has agreed to increase the number of slots given to Athletics Kenya for the African Games after athletes had boycotted trials, protesting limited opportunities.
“It’s not enough for Kenya. Kenya is a superpower country in Africa (in athletics) and picking one athlete to represent it, it is not fair,” Yego said.
Given the supposed lack of enough funding, Yego is disenchanted, yet the government itself declared it would be spending $5 million (Ksh715 million) over five years to bring an end to the doping crisis in 2022.
“Now you are picking one athlete, does it mean the money the government is using for that is going to waste?" he posed.
“We need to ask ourselves where we are heading to in athletics because it is shameful to pick one athlete. We need to have at least two, and we have events where Kenya has been doing so well, like steeplechase, 1500m and 5000m. How can you have one athlete to go compete against 52 countries in Africa? It is not fair.”
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Yego compared the situation to football, questioning if the country would only support nine players rather than 11 at a competition.
“In football, you cannot chose nine players to play because you don’t have enough finances to support the whole team," said Yego.
“The whole team in athletics is three per event, so we can’t play without a goalkeeper in a football match, I guess that is why the athlete are protesting.
“I feel sorry to see the athletes play like that because they have really trained and the government of Kenya has invested a lot of money in anti-doping testing and training.”
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07:00 - 05.03.2024
ATHLETICS Usain Bolt beware! Noah Lyles comes up with formula to break Jamaican legend's 200m record in 2024
Lyles has set himself an ambitious target in the 200m race this season, and another even eye-brow-raising one in the 100m this season after clinching silver at the Glasgow Indoor Games.
Follow the Pulse Sports Kenya WhatsApp Channel for more news.
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