•According to a letter addressed to John Ohaga, the head of the Sports Dispute Tribunal(SDT), and signed by FINA's head of legal, Loic Loutan, Kenya is banned from all FINA-related events.
•IMeanwhile, controversy looms over the selection of swimmers for the Commonwealth Games slated for Birmingham.
Image: ERICK BARASA
Kenya has been handed an indefinite ban from all swimming activities by World governing body, Fina.
The country was under suspension for the past two years after failing to conduct elections for the past three years. A meeting held last week by the Fina executive ratified the ban.
According to a letter addressed to John Ohaga, the head of the Sports Dispute Tribunal(SDT), and signed by Fina's head of legal, Loic Loutan, Kenya is banned from all Fina-related events.
"The country can't take part and benefit from any Fina-related programme and funding. The country will not also nominate candidates for elections/appointments to any Fina offices or positions (bureau, committees, or other Fina bodies)," read the letter in part.
Loutan, however, added that Kenyan swimmers are free to compete as neutrals—something similar to what Russian athletes did when they competed under the Olympic flag during last year's Tokyo Olympic Games.
“Kenyan nationalities can continue to compete in Fina events or Fina sanctioned events, provided they are registered on their own behalf and they meet all other Fina rules and requirements. Their international representation will be under the banner Fina athletes,” added Loutan.
He said in relation to the upcoming World Championships slated for Budapest next month, two Kenyan swimmers Swaleh Taib and Luchia Ruchti have been entered for the event and will be the sole Kenyan athletes for the championship.
They are the only athletes from Kenyan entitled to compete in Budapest as IFA, accompanied by their respective team officials. Proof of payments and carried out directly by the two concerned athletes and not through KSF must be produced," added Loutan.
The KSF elections were due last year following the enactment of a new constitution but some members of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) went to court to stop the exercise, citing universal suffrage. Efforts to get a comment from Ohaga proved futile.
Meanwhile, controversy looms over the selection of swimmers for the Commonwealth Games slated for Birmingham.
Swimmers including Rebecca Kamau and Maria Brunlehner have been sidelined despite posting impressive times at their respective bases abroad. Stakeholders have questioned the logic of flying swimmers from their bases in Europe and the USA for the sole purpose of qualifying locally.
" Why would the swimmers spend thousands of dollars in airfare and suffer jetlag when the easiest option would have been to swim in a Fina sanctioned event wherever they are," the stakeholders wondered.
Eight swimmers were provisionally selected before being reduced to four with Emily Muteti, Imara Bella Thorpe, Ridhwan Mohammed, and Monyo Monyo Maian getting the nod for the Club Games slated for July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham.