Athletics Kenya Youth Development sub-committee chairman Barnaba Korir says the federation will work closely with schools to incorporate kids' athletics into the curriculum.
Korir said this is part of a grand scheme to nurture talents at the grassroots, using schools as a conveyor belt.
"We want now to introduce kids athletics in the same curriculum in schools so that the student can have that opportunity to exploit their talents in both primary and secondary level. From there, they can get an opportunity for scholarships to go to the USA or any other country. For us to achieve this long journey, we need to partner with the Ministry of Education in school games," Korir said.
He admitted that in the past, many young sportspersons have not fully exploited their talents due to the need to concentrate on their academics without spending much time honing their skills on the track or field.
"The school curriculum is changing in sports because they want to change from intensive studies because it has affected athletes who lack enough time to participate in sports. And that alone affects the behaviour and attitude of an athlete like releasing off stress," Korir said.
He was speaking after commissioning the Plateau junior athletics camp at Plateau Girls Secondary School in Uasin Gishu County.
The camp is one of the 26 junior training camps across the country, which have been hosting junior athletes for the past one month in readiness for various youth international assignments including the World Under 20 Championships in Colombia and the Africa Youth Games in Cairo, Egypt.
He expressed optimism the camps will nurture talents who will not only bring the country glory this year but also at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
"With 26 camps spread across the country, the whole idea is to give these young talented children an opportunity to run in some of the areas that were less exploited. We want to build a good team not just for Cali but for the 2024 Olympics and beyond and this is not a one-off programme," Korir said.
He added: "They will select a team that has the capacity to compete. At the same time, we must also give them qualifying time for them to achieve before coming for trials. The success of such camps has given us an opportunity to continue with the spirit like the world under 20 last year."
The camps are expected to compete against each other at the regional championship before the national trials in July.
