World Athletics head Coe lands in Kenya for brief tour
What you need to know:
- “We are happy that despite choosing Kenya for holiday, he will still find time to talk to us and see what we are doing,” said Tuwei.
- “He will conduct open sessions with the coaches and athletes, which is most welcomed and a great honour.”
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe arrived in the country on Tuesday for a week-long private visit.
He is however expected to meet top Athletics Kenya (AK) and government officials besides athletes.
“I am here on holiday and partly to see my friend Jack Tuwei (AK president) and do a couple of things,” said Coe, who was received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Tuwei and chief administrative officer Susan Kamau.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe after his arrival in the country on January 3, 2023 at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Tuwei said that Coe will meet the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba on Wednesday before a session with the athletes, coaches, officials and the media before flying to the coastal region.
“We are happy that despite choosing Kenya for holiday, he will still find time to talk to us and see what we are doing,” said Tuwei.
“He will conduct open sessions with the coaches and athletes, which is most welcomed and a great honour.”
“We shall release his engagement program when he visits the minister,” said Tuwei.
It’s the first trip of the New Year for the former double Olympic champion, but definitely not the first time in Kenya.
Coe, 66, toured the country for the 2017 World Under-18 Athletics Championships and the 2021 World Under-20 Athletics Championships, and separately on a private visit.
His visit comes five weeks after chairing a World Athletics Council meeting in Italy that gave the country a great reprieve on matters of doping.
Even though Kenya stayed in Category “A” of countries where doping is prevalent, the country escaped a ban with the skyrocketing cases of doping cases in the country.
Coe lauded Kenya’s efforts to fight the doping scourge adding that the move by the Kenyan government to increase the funding in the fight against doping to Sh619 million annually for a period of five years, was evident enough.
Coe said that the funding will help increase the number of tests, investigations besides bolstering the already comprehensive education programs by Athletics Kenya and Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK).
In the last four years, 90 Kenyan athletes have been banned or suspended for varying doping offences with 30 cases coming last year.
