Preparations for Paris 2024 have started in earnest especially for the refugee team that will compete in various disciplines at the Olympic Games.
For the last one week, the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) in conjunction with the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) and Athletics Kenya were busy hunting for the team's training base starting this January.
NOC-K, led by president Paul Tergat, visited various training camps and centres that will be hosting the athletes, who are seeking to improve on their performances from their debut in Rio 2016 in Brazil and the 2022 Tokyo Games in Japan.
NOC-K secretary general Francis Mutuku said they have been working round the clock to ensure that the refugee team, under their wings, performs at Paris 2024 in France.
“The refugee team will now be working under NOC-K and we want to ensure that we get a good place for their training and produce proper results,” said Mutuku.
Mutuku said that having a good training ground early will ensure that their performance improves since they fly an important flag to the world.
“These athletes will fly the International Olympics Committee (IOC) flag. We are not just looking at training camps but a good place for them to train. We are working hand in hand with Athletics Kenya and UNHCR to ensure that they perform well,” added Mutuku.
He said they prefer to have the team settle in North Rift, a training hub for some of the best athletes in the world.
The team visited various training camps including Complete Sports in Kaptagat, Lornah Kiplagat High Altitude Performance Centre in Iten, Kipchoge Keino facility, Ndura Sports Complex in Kitale.
