KENYA: Junior Athletes call for help, decry descrimination in the National selection Process

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Submitted by IQ4News on Tue, 07/02/2012 - 10:15pm

The athletes, some of whom have taken part in bigger events, call upon well-wishers to help them realize their dreams.

By Joab Apollo

It is believed that for success to be witnessed, one has to go through a painful experience. This is the recourse for a group of athletes training at the Baraton University ground after failure by the athletics officials in Kenya to improve the welfare of upcoming athletes.

For sportsmen who have taken part in national and international games to lack training facilities, is a cause for worry.

Ahmed Tarus is preparing for the 2012 world cross country championship but lacks the sporting gear to enable him traverse the ragged terrain when training.

“As you can see, this pair of shoes is torn and the ground is not friendly” he points at the torn pair. “We are really facing a big challenge in realizing our dreams. There is no one on our side. The athletics agents only come when they realize they can make some money out of you. To me, this is diminishing the desire of upcoming sportsmen and women in the country,” Tarus adds.

Peterson Kipchumba who participated in the much-touted Kass marathon last year reckons that poverty stand in their way to success even though they will not bow down.

“Sometimes you can train well and in good shape for a competition, but you can lack money to travel and compete with other athletes” Kipchumba says.

He adds that this has made many athletes in the country to seek citizenship in countries like Qatar and USA.

Kenya Paralympics Committee

For Elijah Kemei, lack of a sponsor and a manager has been the bane of many young athletes in Kenya, a fact which he says has thwarted his plans to compete internationally.

“I finished high school in 2008 and my dream has always been to go to America and study while taking part in athletics completion. This cannot be come to fruition because I lack someone to lean on, one who will act as my manager” he states.

And the Kenya Paralympics Committee is under fire for biasness in the selection for athletes to take part in the International competitions.

According to Kemei Samuel who is partially impaired, the committee tends to incline itself too much to established athletes.

“Most of my colleagues have lost hope after witnessing discrimination during national trials. The big names are given a chance even when they are beaten at the trials because they have got something (money) to offer. This has killed the moral of upcoming runners,” Kemei reveals.

Shocked

Felix Kipruto decries the committee’s decision to drop him after being selected during National Paralympics trials held in Mombasa.

“I was shocked to learn that I was not in the list of those who were flying. The reason they opted for the losers still eludes me,” a dejected Kipruto says.

The young athletes are calling for the Ministry for Sports and Youth Affairs to come in handy and get rid of the sporting mess in the country.

This, Kipchumba says, will stem the rising cases of partiality in the sport.

The group urges well-wishers to sponsor them so that they can bag the country medals.