•Mutuku said there was an urgent need to devise more effective ways of selecting teams for global showpieces.
•Mutuku said NOCK would continue to provide support for all Kenyan teams gracing the international stage.
Image: HANDOUT
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) secretary-general Francis Mutuku wants the country to depart from the culture of preparing teams at the eleventh hour.
Drawing from Kenya's experience at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Mutuku said delayed preparations had merely served to compromise the country's chances of bagging more medals at the games.
“One of the things we learned as we prepared our teams for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is that the process of qualification and participation starts four years before the Olympics,” Mutuku said.
“We normally do things in the last 12 months. At that point, it becomes extremely difficult for most of our athletes to get the required points. It also becomes difficult to manage some of the sports that require long-term planning and preparation,” he quipped.
“As a country, we hope to start adopting ways of starting preparations early enough,” he added.
Mutuku said there was an urgent need to devise more effective ways of selecting teams for global showpieces.
“One of the critical elements we feel we need to participate in is the qualification process. The process starts years in advance. The exposure and experience our teams get at this moment finally count on the big stage at the Olympics.”
Mutuku observed that Kenya's situation had been made more delicate by a contentious presidential election that is yet to be concluded.
“Unfortunately, this time there is also transition within government and we hope that the Ministry of Sports will settle very fast. In the meantime, we need to prepare.”
Mutuku said NOCK would continue to provide support for all Kenyan teams gracing the international stage.
“So for us as an organisation, we very strongly feel we should spare the minimal resources we have to keep them active,” Mutuku said.
“The executive has approved financial support, logistics support and any other kind that can be provided to the teams preparing for the Olympics. They need to attain the points needed for the Olympics.
“NOCK will continue supporting, not as much as we would wish, but substantively enough to ensure our teams are on the right path.”
He, however, insisted that the teams will first have to demonstrate utmost integrity to enjoy such support.
“To qualify for our support, federations must demonstrate that the people selected to participate underwent an open selection system.”
Mutuku said NOCK will establish a system early enough to identify athletes who exhibit the potential to fly the country's flag at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics.
“We are also looking beyond 2024. Our focus is on Dakar 2026. So we have a lot of interest in the young ones who are coming through the system. Sports is a long-term process and requires long-term planning.”
Editing by Tony Mballa