As the national count of the deadly third wave of Covid-19 continues to rise alarmingly, the National Olympics Committee-Kenya is closely monitoring the situation — particularly during this Olympics and Paralympics year.
Our objective as sports stakeholders is to enable Team Kenya produce the best performance and results at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on July 23-August and August 25-September 8 respectively.
In collaboration with Sports Kenya and other stakeholders, we are implementing a bubble training camp for the team at the Moi Stadium, Kasarani as well as other sports infrastructures.
The camp includes those who have qualified for the two showpieces in various disciplines as well as others who are still battling for a ticket to Tokyo.
Its major purpose is to shield the sportspersons from the risk of infection by the virus as much as possible and allow them to concentrate on their preparations.
At the training camps, everyone is expected to adhere diligently and dutifully to the guidelines provided within our national borders and beyond as far as the health protocols are concerned.
Thousands of kilometres away in Tokyo, the local organising committee and the International Olympic Committee are doing everything possible to ensure both events proceed as planned.
Part of the measures put in place may be heartbreaking — especially for the fans — but they are well-intended to ensure no one gets infected or loses their lives on account of the Olympics and Paralympics.
IOC, led by President Bach and the Chair of the Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, John Coates, said no foreign spectators will be allowed to travel to Tokyo as a mitigation measure for the pandemic.
Moreover, only essential service delegations will be allowed into the country after the Japanese government asked that the number of accredited participants be significantly restricted to those who have operational responsibilities.
These developments come a month after the release of the Games Playbook, which outlines the guidelines that all stakeholders are expected to obey during their stay in Tokyo, including within the Olympics village.
Even as they continue fine-tuning themselves within the bubble training camp, I would like to urge our sportspersons and other stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the Playbook by practising some of the guidelines within the residential training camp.
It would be unfortunate to prepare yourself optimally only to undo all the hard work in Tokyo by disregarding these rules and subsequently, earning a disqualification and expulsion from the Olympics or Paralympics.
Considering these measures in place, the forthcoming Olympics and Paralympics will indeed be a standout in the history of the Games.
However, it is not all gloom and doom rather we thank God for the gift of technology.
Television and internet broadcasts will ensure that millions of sporting fans do not miss a single piece of the action.
Therefore, I urge all Kenyans to rally around our brothers and sisters despite the the fact that not many, yet deserving persons, may not travel to the Games.
As NOC-K — in collaboration with MOSCA and other stakeholders — will provide Team Kenya will all the resources they require to attain as many podium finishes as possible.
