Athletics Kenya are hopeful the country will be chosen as the host for the 2025 World Championship in March this year.
The federation's director of youth development, Barnaba Korir, says they are waiting with bated breath for World Athletics' decision and believe Kenya has done more than enough to prove its capability to host the global showpiece.
"They (WA officials) were supposed to visit the country on January 15 but had to postpone it because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our president (Jack Tuwei) is in constant contact with them and will communicate when next the officials will arrive," Korir said.
He added: "The decision on who will be the host city for the championship is supposed to be made in March. We are waiting and are still hopeful our bid will be successful."
Kenya has in the past hosted various global athletics competitions, including the World Cross Country Championship in 2007, World Under 18 Championship (2017), World Under 20 Championship (2021), and the Kip Keino Classic (2020 and 2021).
It is also set to host the Agnes Tirop World Cross Country Tour next week in Eldoret and the third edition of the Kip Keino Classic in May in Nairobi.
Korir said the global cross-country event will boost the country's image as a sports destination.
"We want to have a successful event so that in the future WA can consider Kenya for other major athletics competitions. Remember AK and the government have bid for the World Championship in 2025. Therefore, this is important to showcase our capacity to host other events, especially coming hot on the heels of the Kip Keino Classic," he said.
Korir further revealed the course at Lobo Village will be redone to protect athletes from injuries. "We will make some few changes, which we noted during the national cross country championship. In the middle of the course, there were some areas we did not include. The muddy terrain has issues. We had wanted to make the course as tough as possible but we will have to look at it again to reduce the likelihood of injuries to the athletes," he said.
Korir added: "We had a high-level meeting with the event organiser from Europe who is here to assess the route. We will also meet the Local Organizing Committee from the Central Rift region."
As the countdown to the cross country competition continues, hundreds of athletes will also be converging at Nyayo Stadium for the 1st AK track and field Weekend meet on Friday-Saturday.
Korir expressed optimism that the weekend series will be an opportunity for participants to prepare themselves for upcoming global track and field events.
"Many athletes have been training hard during the Covid-19 period but have not had much chance to compete. These events will be a chance for all to test themselves," he said.
