NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 14 – Under the difficult conditions occasioned by the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government through the Ministry of Sports has promised continued support to Kenya’s team preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, which is 100 days away.
Training and competitions have been hugely scampered by the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus with athletes finding themselves in tight situations to either train or find events to aid them in qualifying.
Speaking on Wednesday as Kenya marked 100 days to the Olympics, Amina said it was important to mark the occasion with an assurance for the athletes that they will receive maximum support.
“It was very important for us to have this because it shows our commitment to the athletes and it also refocuses everyone’s mind to the Olympics. We have had challenges for the past one year with COVID and minds are all over the place. We left it was important to celebrate this for the athletes to see that the country is with them and we appreciate what they do for us,” CS Amina stated.
Sports CS Amina Mohamed and NOCK boss Paul Tergat pose with some Olympics bound athletes. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) boss Paul Tergat also acknowledged that it has been a difficult year for athletes but adds that they are working to ensure everyone is mentally ready to tackle for medals in Tokyo.
“We have had lots of challenges with this pandemic and it only takes a strong mind to compete. We need to ensure that mentally and emotionally we are okay and we want to work on that to achieve something in Tokyo,” Tergat noted.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has partnered with NOCK to ensure that athletes who have qualified for Tokyo continue training. Around 88 athletes will be in bubble-training at the Kasarani Stadium in preparation for the games.
CS Amina has also stated that all Olympics bound athletes have received their first dose of the vaccine.
Sports CS Amina Mohamed and NOCK boss Paul Tergat officially launch the Team Kenya website. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
“We also want to ensure that all the athletes have received their second doses at least six weeks to the Olympics so that there can be no reason of blocking them from participating. We intend also to vaccinate almost 3500 athletes and if there are more, the Ministry of Health is willing to add more doses,” Amina stated.
Meanwhile, the CS and NOCK launched the official website for the Kenyan team to the Olympics, TeamKenya.or.ke as well as the clarion call for the team, #YouAreTheReason.
