Athletics Kenya (AK) youth development chairman, Barnaba Korir thinks the country can still win the 2027 World Athletics Championships bid despite missing out on the 2025 edition.
With proper resources and support systems, Korir said the country has what it takes to host the event.
“I am confident, we can still put our act together and stage the 2027 World Championships.," he noted.
Korir, however, said that to achieve this, the country will have to relook at the sporting facilities, which were the bone of contention.
Korir said the next occupant of the Sports Ministry must be someone who understands the needs of the sporting fraternity and be ready to address them.
“Sports in the country have the potential to grow and we just need someone who understands our needs and is ready to look into them,” he said, adding that Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has done a good job in making sure the sports industry doesn't stagnate.
"This year, the country has successfully hosted the Kip-Keino Classic, Agnes Tirop Memorial World Cross Country Tour and Safari Rally. The CS has been in the forefront in ensuring all these projects succeed."
Korir also regretted the increase in foreign coaches without proper documentation. "We must set up laws on the parameters of how far the foreign coaches should go and get the Immigration department involved," he said.
He added that immigration and Athletics Kenya must work together to ensure things run smoothly.
“The rules are there but implementation has proven to be an uphill task. The foreign coaches must have documentation to ascertain that they are professional coaches for them to be approved,” he said.
He said double taxation is a challenge facing athletes in the country but the federation is trying to make sure the issue is addressed.
“This menace of double taxation has affected our athletes and most of them have ended up investing in other countries. We are looking into that to make sure athletes are not affected,” he said.
