Nkanata ruled out of Olympics in another official blunder

Kenyan 200m record holder Carvin Nkanata’s will not participate in his maiden Olympics after he was ruled out of competition on Sunday night when the National Olympics Committee confirmed he was not eligible to represent the country at the Summer Games.

According to sportsnewsarena.com, the sprinters profile had ‘null’ against it in the Rio 2016 Olympics competitor’s database effectively meaning he had not been cleared for competition as it emerged regulations governing entry of athletes with dual nationality were not followed.

The plight of the 25 year-old U.S based sprinter added to the expanding catalogue of official blunders plaguing Team Kenya at Rio 2016.

“The Olympic rules are clear that you must be in possession of the passport of the country you are competing for. He cannot represent Kenya when he does not hold the passport yet and any exemptions only be approved by the IOC board,” Soi was quoted by sportsnewsarena.com in Rio.

Nkanata arrived in Brazil four days ago without his accreditation and was then put up at the Kenyan ambassador to Brazil’s residence since he could not access the Olympics Village without accreditation.

Before departing for Rio on Sunday, Nock official and two-time world women marathon champion, Catherine Ndereba, said Nkanata had requested for his accreditation to be mailed to him in the US.

“I’m not sure of what is going on with Nkanata, have been trying to reach him but his mobile phone has been off, while in Eldoret I had his accreditation, he later asked me to send it of which I did although it was a little bit late,” the two-time Olympics silver medallist told Citizen Digital at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Following the development, it is not clear what documentation Athletics Kenya (AK) and Nock used to enter the sprinter to represent the nation of his father’s birth at last year’s World Championships in Beijing, 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and 2014 Africa Championships.

Nkanata declared for Kenya in 2014.