Olympic Kenya have conceded they are facing challenges in running the bubble camp for Team Kenya at Moi Stadium, Kasarani according to international standards.
Chef-de-Mission Waithaka Kioni said certain athletes in the camp occasionally forget to adhere to Covid-19 protocols, exposing themselves and others to the risk of infection.
"In Kenya, we have seen some kind of a reckless culture and approach among the public in dealing with the pandemic. This is even as the Health CS and even the President keep insisting that all Kenyans should adhere to the prescribed health protocols. Unfortunately, we have also observed this attitude among the athletes in the camp," Kioni said.
Kioni added that it has not been possible to include all stakeholders in the bubble camp, including support staff at the stadium who serve the athletes everyday.
"The concept of a bubble camp is to have all athletes and the support staff in a bubble, away from interactions with the outside. In Kenya, it is a bit different because the athletes are in a government institution where there are other people not associated with their training. They are also being served by a support staff who are not resident at Kasarani but go home at the end of the day," he said.
Echoing Kioni's remarks, Barnaba Korir, general team manager, reiterated Olympic Kenya's commitment to enforce the protocols despite the challenges thus far.
"We have worked very hard to implement the protocols from the Ministry of Health and the various international federations. It is impossible to manage it 100 per cent but we are trying our best. We have received a lot of support from Sports Kenya and currently we have 105 rooms not yet occupied," Korir said.
Korir revealed that the women's rugby team, Lionesses, will check into camp today to join sprinters, taekwondo and Shujaa — their male counterparts who arrived in camp on Monday night.
