The Parliamentary Committee on Labour and Social welfare has recommended a review in the issuance of wild card in Team Kenya to major championships.
In a report, the committee observed that the allocation of slots in such situation only served to demoralise athletes and was unfair in entirety.
“The wild card selection criteria, was cited as an unfair method of selection,” read the report. “A case was reported of an athlete who finished in the second position in the 10,000m race but was dropped and replaced by an athlete who didn’t perform well in the same race.”
Yosei Muneira was switched from the 10,000m race to the 5000m race despite finishing second behind Paul Tanui in the longer race during the trials at the Kipchoge Stadium in Eldoret.
Instead, world cross and half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor and silver medalist Bedan Karoki were enlisted in the longer race, infuriating the youngster, Muneira, who had not trained for the after thought.
Kamworor and Karoki dropped out of the 10,000m race citing various challenges.
He (Muneira), the report reads, forwarded the case to the NOC-K officials, who instead put him in the 5,000m race and as a result Kenya performed dismally in that race since the athlete was forced to run a race that he did not qualify for.
While Tanui went on to win silver in the 10,000m race in Rio, Karoki and Kamworor finished seventh and 11th respectively.
“The wildcard selection criterion should only be used in instances where athletes who have qualified in an event, are less than the number required,” the committee recommended.
The report adds: “Once an athlete is selected through qualifications to represent the country in an international sporting event, he or she should remain under the supervision of the appointed national coaches.”
The report also refutes allegations that the final batch of Team Kenya from Rio on August 25 had spent a night in slums. “Contrary to allegations that some members of Team Kenya spent a night in a sub-standard hotel in a slum environment, the accommodation to the team that left behind was of reasonable standard.
The slums (favelas) which were pictured in the Social Media were those within the vicinity of the apartment,” observed the committee.