Team Kenya calls for financial aid ahead of masters debut

Team Kenya for the 2016 World Masters Athletics Championships is urgently appealing for financial aid to help meet its costs for travel, accommodation and other logistics ahead of the global event set for Wednesday, 26 October to November 6 in Perth, Australia.

Speaking to Citizen Digital on Wednesday, former two-time African Championships silver medalist and the team’s coach, Rose Tata-Muya appealed for sponsorship from well-wishers with the entire budget requirements including Visa, Accommodation, Team registration and insurance charges summing up to around Ksh2million.

The team, which features retired athletes aged above 40 years, is expected to travel to Australia on Sunday, 23.

“We have a team of 16 athletes who are training vigorously in Eldoret 64 stadium, Nyahururu and Kasabet for the Championships. We selected the athletes according to their performance at the Maasai Mara, Iten and Ndakaini local races. Joshua Pondo will double up in two field events; shot-put and the discus throw.

“We have done our best in training and despite training as individuals, we are a crew in heart. We wrote to the Masters organizers and they cleared the athletes according to their events,” the 1987 All-Africa Games 400m hurdles silver medalist asserted.

This is the third time Kenya will be sending a team for the championships and athletes are required to pay a registration fee depending with their event.

Athletes who are participating in the 21Km event are supposed to pay 80 USD (Ksh 8100.95) while those running below 21 need to pay 55 USD (Ksh 5569.41) while Pondo’s case where he participates in two competitions will see him pay 110 USD (Ksh 11138.81).

“The athletes have already paid for their own events, the Ministry of Sports Arts and Culture paid the air tickets amounting to Ksh 3.5m. If we get the Ksh 2m we shall be ready to go and fly the Kenyan flag high in Australia. It’s hard to prepare for an event that you are not sure of but we got faith although we have less than two weeks before the events starts.

“This is the largest number of athletes that we have ever sent for the event. Here we have former champions who ruled in there hey days. Athletics Kenya (AK) assisted us by writing a letter to Masters Athletics but on the financial level they told us to write to them and see how they can assist us,” the Kenyan 400m hurdles record holder appealed.

Truphoza Chemutai is the only female athlete in the team and will run in the women’s 8km race.

TEAM KENYA FOR MASTERS.

10,000m

1. Bernard K Cheruiyot

8KM

1. John Njai
2. James Seurei Kiberenge

10 KM

1. Joshua Kipchumba
2. Paul Yego Kibet
3. Joseph Some Koskei

21 KM

1. John Birigen
2. Stepehen Kamande
3. Joel Kipkemboi Koesgei
4. Francis Komu
5. Philip Bitok Kimeto
6. Stephen Kihara
7. Paul Sang
8. John Sang

8km women

1. Truphosa Jemutai

Discus /Shot-put

1. Joshua Pondo.

Team Officials

1. Maurice Ochieng – Chef de Mission
2. Benard K Kipyator – Team Manager (TM)
3. Elizabeth Olaba  – Assistant TM
4. Rose Tata maru – Coach
5. Benjamin Kimaiyo –Physio
6. Wesley Kiplangat – Ministry of Sports
7. Kenneth Wepukhulu – Media Liasion