Athletes have been advised to avoid negative social media bashing while heading to competitions to avoid unnecessary pressure.
Olympics Kenya president Paul Tergat said the concluded Olympic Games in Tokyo were the most difficult for Kenyan athletes due to the negative comments posted on numerous social media platforms.
Tergat observed that the postponement of the Games from 2020 to 2021 meant a rejig of individual athletes' training programmes and this was bound to affect their delivery in Tokyo.
This, he said, proved tough for many.
“Even in 2021, we did not know that the Games would be held. As athletes, you worked under difficult circumstances but you were able to do your best. I congratulate all of you for your resilience, determination and the focus to carry the aspirations of all of us as a nation,” said Tergat.
However, he bemoaned that their efforts were never appreciated at home and instead many moved to castigate them on social media.
"It was very nasty to see what was happening back at home when the team was in Tokyo. The people who are supposed to rally behind you were, instead, bashing and pulling you down,” said the former world cross country champion.
“For those who are working in the disciplined forces, we say that the war is not over until it is over. So we were still in the campaign yet no one was giving us hope,” he added.
Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei also castigated the 'keyboard' warriors.
“Remember this is a competition. We need to change the approach like start with winning, win something in the middle and win at the end to make Kenyans happy all the time. But it is not as easy as people may think,” said Tuwei.
He added that everybody who goes to the competition has one objective; winning.
“Because we have set that standard of winning, we want to do more on winnings. I think, as athletes, we need to learn how to manage the pressure," he said.
"And one of the best ways to manage pressure is to keep off social media especially when you are competing or when you are just about to compete. Avoid social media to run away from negative people.”
