•Olympics Kenya acting secretary general Francis Mutuku says that strict Covid-19 controls in the athletes' village may negatively impact media coverage of the Olympics
•Part of these controls include restriction of movement within the village
Olympics Kenya acting secretary general, Francis Mutuku is worried that stringent Covid-19 controls in the athletes' village may negatively impact media coverage of the Olympics.
Mutuku said restricted movement of journalists in the athletes' village may deny Kenyans the chance to follow Team Kenya's exploits at the quadrennial games.
"In an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Tokyo Olympic organisers have warned they will keep movement around the athletes' village to a bare minimum. This might make it quite difficult for journalists to cover news effectively," Mutuku said.
Mutuku said the authorities in Tokyo are uncompromising when it comes to fighting the virus and implementing the strict measures, including social distancing.
"Social distancing is one of the broader measures governments have increasingly adapted to contain the spread of the pandemic and Tokyo is no exception," he said.
Meanwhile, mobile phone company, OPPO, has expressed willingness to help Kenyan journalists counter this challenge by employing technology for the media to provide accurate, timely, uninterrupted and in-depth coverage of the games.
Marketing manager Muthoni Wachira said journalists must be techno-savvy to survive the difficult times and in the post-Covid period.
"We have discovered that it is not going to be easy for our media team that will be on the ground in Tokyo to relay news without being tech-savvy and we want to partner with them and ensure information is relayed back home in good time. During this era, we have no choice but to embrace technology,"
She cited this past weekend's ARC Equator Rally as an example of the benefits offered by technology to sports coverage.
"We at OPPO are trying to keep pace with the shift and that is why we are trying to partner with various sporting disciplines to ensure information is being relayed on time."