Olympic marathon champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge wants the government to consider reopening a few athletics training camps to enable him train effectively for October 4 London Marathon.
He said there are under five top-notch camps in the country, which are also fully compliant in as far as Covid-19 protocols are concerned.
"Non contact sports like athletics need to be allowed to go back to training because the world of sports is opening up," he said.
He said he has been training individually at home but it is high time he joined his training partners in camp in a bid to gauge his strength ahead of London Marathon. Kipchoge was speaking during the launch of the domestic tourism by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala at the Masai Mara Game Reserve on Saturday.
He said while he was supposed to be racing yesterday at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which has since been postponed to next year, he has adjusted to the realities of life and his focus was now on London Marathon.
Asked if Kenenisa Bekele will be a threat after coming close to his marathon record in Berlin last year, Kipchoge said he was looking beyond the Ethiopian. "Everyone, who will parade in London will be a threat and I cannot afford to focus on one particular opponent," he noted.
He regretted the havoc caused by Covid-19, saying everything had come to a standstill. "The whole world has been affected with this pandemic and we are all doing badly as far as the economy is concerned. Sports as you know has been badly hit and it's time to work on a revival plan," he added.
Commenting on his new role with the Kenya Tourists Board, he said he has a passion on matters wildlife and environment hence his latest deal was timely. He said he was happy to use his talent to market the country both locally and internationally as this was his way of appreciating the support he has always received from Kenyans.
Kipchoge, who was accompanied by his wife Grace and the rest of his family, said Covid-19 has taught them to plan for the future if not invest for tomorrow. He admitted that London may not be the same this year but was quick to note that something has to be done to return hope in the sporting world.
During the tour of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, the world record holder had a rare opportunity of engaging with President Uhuru Kenyatta through zoom conference on his new role with KTB.
President Uhuru thanked Kipchoge for agreeing to work with KTB to market Kenya. He asked him to capitalise on his new role to promote the beauty of nation, its people and the general landscape.
