Please help us qualify for Paris Olympics: Taekwondo boss
Serbia's Milica Mandic (Blue) and Kenya's Faith Ogallo (Red) compete in the taekwondo women's +67kg elimination round bout during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Tokyo on July 27, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The Senegal-bound exponents include Faith Ogallo, who qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Games after winning silver in Heavyweight (+67 kilogrammes) at the 2019 African Games in Morocco. She is slotted to battle for tickets in the middle/heavyweight category.
The Kenya Taekwondo Federation (KTF) has appealed to the government to fund the 2024 African Taekwondo Olympics Qualification Tournament.
The Ministry of Sports said it would not fund the team of 11 players and four officials for the Continental Qualification Tournament scheduled for February 10-11 in Senegal. The team has been training at the Police Pavilion in South C, Nairobi.
“We prepared well for both able-bodied and para-athletes. We were expected to travel on February 6 to Senegal. Unfortunately, the ministry has declined the request for funding,” KTF president Suleiman Sumba told Nation Sport noting that they hope the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) will come to their rescue even as they seek to make their case at the Ministry.
“The ministry has come up with new regulations that require budgets to be submitted six months before the event. One of the mandatory requirements before the funding process starts is an invitation letter which federations have no control of. Most invitations are received well below six months,” explained Sumba.
In KTF’s case, Sumba says, the international governing body, World Taekwondo, opened the registration window in early January upon which the official invitation was released.
“However in our calendar of events budget for the year 2023/2024 forwarded to the ministry last year, this item was covered,” noted Sumba.
“Please note our budget was approved at all levels only to be declined after the declaration of these new regulations this week during the CS's meeting with federation officials,” said Sumba.
The Senegal-bound exponents include Faith Ogallo, who qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Games after winning silver in Heavyweight (+67 kilogrammes) at the 2019 African Games in Morocco. She is slotted to battle for tickets in the middle/heavyweight category.
Ogallo is not the only able-bodied Kenyan athlete attempting Olympic qualification. There is also Jully Musangi (light/welterweight), Moses Obara (middle/heavyweight) and Innocent Wafula (light/welterweight).
The four are under coach Linus Marangu. George Wasonga is the team manager.
“The two players who win in the semi-finals qualify for the Olympics. They do not fight in the finals. It means only eight male players from the combined four weight categories will qualify and eight female players from the four combined events. The whole of Africa will provide 16 players for the Paris Olympics. It is extremely competitive to qualify for the Olympics,” observed KTF assistant treasurer Nesmas Wesonga.
During the Tokyo 2020 Games held in 2021, Ogallo lost in her first bout against Serbian Milica Mandic who went all the way to clinch the gold medal.
For the 2024 Olympics, the KTF Competitions Secretary Martin Malaba said there were no national trials for the able-bodied exponents.
“According to the performance of Musangi, Ogallo and Sharon Wakoli, they were shortlisted and their names forwarded to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) for sponsorship for preparation for the Olympics,” observed Malaba.
The three, added Malaba, went to Nepal and thereafter Wakoli headed to Germany for training, while Ogallo and Musangi were also taken to France for training.
“From their performance, Ogallo and Musangi have been shortlisted to participate in the Olympic qualifiers. For the men. Moses [Obara] and Innocent [Wafula] have been dominating their weight categories for the past four years. That is why they have been selected,” explained Malaba on the criteria used to come up with the team.
He noted that Kenya performs better in the heavier weights and that is why both men and women light/welter and middle/heavy categories have been selected.
Flag-bearers for Kenya in the para taekwondo, are Stency Neema (Under 52kg), Julieta Lemuge (U-58kg), Linda Ogeto (U-65kg), Patrick Lolkalepi (U-58kg), Peter Kabani (U-63kg), Joseph Owino (U-70kg) and Alphonce Maripet (U-80kg).
Para athletes were selected on July 7 last year at the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru. Coached by Philip Khaemba, the team hoped to qualify for the Paralympic Games slated for August 28 to September 8 in Paris. Sumba is the team manager for the para athletes.
