Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei has called on the national team heading to the Tokyo World Championships to uphold integrity, compete clean, and avoid any actions that could tarnish Kenya’s global standing.
The World Athletics Championships will be held in Tokyo from September 13-21, 2025.
Speaking during the official opening of Team Kenya’s residential camp at the Kipkeino High Performance Training Centre in Eldoret, Tuwei reminded the athletes that success built on discipline and hard work is the only legacy worth leaving behind.
“As you train, just do it cleanly and make sure you impress and leave the sport with your head high,” Tuwei said.
With Kenya’s athletics image marred in recent years by doping violations, Tuwei urged the athletes to shun performance-enhancing drugs.
“What’s the need for running and winning medals only to be stripped later? It’s a big shame, and Kenya needs to get out of this. It starts with discipline and hard work,” he added.
Tuwei further challenged the squad to maintain focus as they prepare to extend Kenya’s long-standing dominance on the world stage.
“You’re going to Tokyo to compete, and the facilities here will help you sharpen yourselves. It’s up to you to train and focus on the competition ahead because Kenya has always done well at the global championships.”
Kenya’s record at the World Athletics Championships underscores its reputation as an athletics powerhouse, with 171 medals—65 gold, 58 silver, and 48 bronze—ranking second all-time behind the USA’s 443.
The nation’s debut came in Helsinki in 1983 with a modest 21-member squad, but its finest hour was at Beijing 2015, topping the medal table with 16 podium finishes.
At the most recent edition in Budapest 2023, Kenya secured 10 medals, finishing fifth overall and again emerging as Africa’s top performer.
The Tokyo-bound team’s preparations received a boost from a partnership between AK and KCB Bank, aimed at both athletic readiness and off-track empowerment.
KCB director of retail banking, Jane Isiaho, lauded the team and emphasised the long-term nature of the partnership.
“The reason we decided to partner with the federation is to assist and support athletes in their sporting engagement,” she said.
“We have to offer support on investments through what the athletes earn, and that’s why we are here to offer financial literacy to the team.”
Tuwei led a Team Kenya Road to Tokyo sustainability initiative by planting of 100 trees at Kipkeino HPTC.
The activity was jointly undertaken by KCB and Team Kenya to Tokyo 2025.
