Chile’s Head of Delegation Rodrigo Garcia is anticipating an electrifying experience at this weekend’s International Schools Sport Federation cross-country at the Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi.
Garcia, leading a 33-strong Chilean team, landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Thursday morning and declared how ready they were to conquer Nairobi.
Despite the rigours of the long haul trip, Garcia is enthusiastic about being in the ‘heart of athletics’.
“We are grateful to be here. We had a 36-hour journey but are we pleased to have arrived here safely,” he said.
“We have had a great reception. We expect a great competition over the weekend.”
“In Chile, we have talented cross-country athletes but Kenya sets the bar high. Our athletes will give their all,” he added.
Elsewhere, an Italian delegation of 17 arrived at 1:55 pm, eager to discover the Kenyan culture.
Head of delegation Astrid Ferrari said the championship is a good platform to bring students together for cultural exchange.
“This is our first time in Kenya. We are glad to be here and we look forward to an amazing competition,” she stated.
“We have prepared well for the championship. We look forward to giving the favourites a challenge.”
Luxembourg, Ireland, England and Namibia are expected to jet in on Friday.
The event has attracted 20 nations including Tanzania, Nigeria, Namibia, Morocco, China, Tunisia, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Czech Republic, Chile, England, Ireland, Mexico, Luxembourg, Croatia, New Zealand and French International School-Kenya and hosts Kenya.
Medals will be up for grabs across three categories of competition including U-12, U-15 and U-18 (boys and girls).
Their arrival followed that of ISF President Laurent Petrynka, who heads the global governing body for school sports.
