Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed says the country has no plans to withdraw Team Kenya from any international competitions despite a surge in Covid-19 worldwide.
She said all measures have been undertaken to ensure all athletes participating in major events are vaccinated for Covid-19 and have adhered to all the prevention measures.
"There should not be any reason why they should not be able to participate. We have kept them in a bubble over here and they will once again be kept in a bubble in Poland. We have done as much vaccination as possible to ensure that the athletes are well protected," Mohamed said.
The United States, Jamaica, Canada, and Trinidad & Tobago are among the countries that have withdrawn their athletes from the World Relay Championships set for tomorrow (today) in Selesia, Poland.
This is the latest in a series of concerns over the viability of major international events, such as the Tokyo Olympics in Japan where a state of emergency has been imposed in three major cities to deal with the ravaging virus.
However, Mohamed chose to focus on the positive side of things, expressing confidence the country's representatives at the biennial event will do Kenya proud.
"They are there because they are champions who worked hard to earn their spot. We expect them to win. I spoke to the officials in the team and they told me the athletes are in high spirits. They are raring and ready to go and understand that this is a golden opportunity with all the international events coming up," she said.
Kenya will be represented by 36 athletes competing in seven relay categories: 4x400m women; 4x400m mixed relay; shuttle relay; 4x200m men; 4x200m women; 2x2x400m; and 4x400m men.
The CS urged Kenyans to tune in in their numbers and cheer the athletes to victory.
