AK to name Commonwealth and Marathon teams next year

Athletics Kenya president Lieutenant General  Retired Jackson Tuwei has said that the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and the Commonwealth Games Marathon teams will be named early next year.

Briefing reporters at a city hotel on Tuesday, Tuwei said that it was not possible to name the team in early November as earlier planned because AK wanted to give athletes enough time to negotiate their management contracts.

The AK boss warned athletes against multiple signing of contracts, urging them to be wary of dubious managers who are not registered with the federation.

“We wanted to give athletes time to secure and negotiate their contracts. We did not want to disturb them at this time because the process is ongoing. We expect to name both teams by early ​​January. I believe that the marathoners are still preparing themselves so that when they go to camp they will be just polishing on a few details before competing,” said Tuwei.

Tuwei also warned athletics managers who have not registered with the federation that they will be monitored and kicked out, pointing out that they will not come to the aid of any athlete who has been duped.

“Some of these unregistered managers manipulate athletes to take prohibited substances because they want quick cash. We are not completely off the hook with the World Anti Doping Agency.They are still monitoring us closely and the situation is likely to spill to next year. We cannot afford to give room to such managers to worsen things for us with WADA. When an athlete fails their doping test, we shall all suffer the consequences even though the country was declared compliant ,” Tuwei noted.

Athletics Kenya (AK) President Lt. Gen. Jackson Tuwei addresses the media at the Riadha house offices in Nairobi, Kenya on January 28, 2016. Photo/Stafford Ondego/ www.sportpicha.com
(FILE)Athletics Kenya (AK) President Lt. Gen. Jackson Tuwei addresses the media at the Riadha house offices in Nairobi, Kenya on January 28, 2016. Photo/Stafford Ondego/ www.sportpicha.

The athletics chief also pointed out that the Africa Cross Country team will be named in February during the National Cross Country Championships which will act as trials for the fifth Africa Cross Country Championships that is scheduled to take place in March 17 next year in Chelf, Algeria.   

Speaking during the Sh 8 million cheque presentation for the X-Country by a local gaming firm, Tuwei called on the athletes to continue with their preparations for the continental assignment.  Kenya has exceptionally won all the five editions that have taken place from the inaugural event in 1985 and since it resumed in 2011.

Meanwhile, nominations for the 2017 Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) are ongoing. The event is scheduled to take place  on January 17.  

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Athletics Kenya AK World Anti-Doping Agency IAAF World Half Marathon Championships AK to name Commonwealth and Marathon teams next year Lieutenant General  Retired Jackson Tuwei

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