AK to the rescue of Kenyan athletes stranded in India

AK to the rescue of Kenyan athletes stranded in India

Athletics Kenya (AK) has stepped up to cater for travel expenses of four Kenyan athletes stranded in India amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The four athletes Michael Biwott, Millicent Gathoni, Benjamin Kipkasi and Isaac Kipkemoi are expected to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport this morning at 10.10am aboard Air India 961 from Mumbai.

The athletes were based at Bengaluru in the Asian nation with AK spending up to Sh87, 000 to cater for each of the athlete’s cost of connecting flights between Bengaluru to Nairobi via Mumbai.

AK president Jackson Tuwei disclosed that the federation worked closely with Kenyan Embassy in New Delhi to repatriate the athletes.

He however insisted that the federation will only assist athletes with the required documentation which must be approved by the embassy.

“I am happy we have finally managed to repatriate the four athletes who were stranded in India. We teamed up with our embassy in India and they will finally arrive home tomorrow (Friday),” said Tuwei.

The four are among the many Kenyans who were stranded in the populous Asian nation which is slowly reopening after it was placed under lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

On May 8, some of Kenyans who were stranded in India, most of whom had travelled to seek medical treatment arrived in the country aboard a Kenya Airways flight as part of the government’s repatriation programme.

Tuwei however regretted the tendency of some athletes to travel for races abroad without the mandatory clearance from AK.

Citizen Digital has established that some athletes went to compete in various races in the Asian countries including India never to return home for years with many having travelled without the necessary clearance.

“We insist that each athlete must be cleared by our office before travelling outside the country for any race. This will be easy to follow up in case any of any difficulty in the part of the athlete,” he said.

Tags:

India Atheltics Kenya Athletes stranded Benjamin Kipkasi Isaac Kipkemoi Michael Biwott Millicent Gathoni

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