Kenya's national boxing team head coach, Benjamin Musa, has confirmed he will be eyeing a committee member position at the forthcoming National Olympics Committee of Kenya elections scheduled for December 9.
Speaking to the Star on Wednesday, Musa who also doubles up as the Boxing Federation of Kenya national treasurer, said there was an urgent need to improve on the gains already made by the outgoing administration.
Despite having some flowery words for the current administration whom he praised for gaining some significant traction, Musa said he had some fresh ideas which he wished to implement if considered for the post.
“There can be no doubt in my mind that President Paul Tergat and his current team have done a splendid job already. However, there is still some great room for improvement and I'm looking forward to working with the çommittee to push the agenda of local sports personalities even further.
Musa said his decision to join the race was partly inspired by the desire to propel the country to unprecedented heights, especially in the less popular sports that are part of the Olympian calendar but receive little attention in the country.
“Other than athletics that has done well thus far, there is also a growing need to create space for those participating in other sports to be part of Team Kenya during the Games.
While admitting that NOC-K had, indeed, extended overwhelming support to members of the Hit Squad during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Musa said the inclusion of a person familiar with boxing in the committee would be a big plus for the sport.
“We got a lot of support from the committee during the last Games. They extended great support including referring a physio to our team. They also helped us acquire some training equipment and other vital facilities. They, undoubtedly, did a commendable job,” said Musa.
“However, I believe I'll be in a position to provide expert advice as I work closely with other officials to achieve our set objectives,” said Musa.
Musa said he would continue with his position as the national team coach in the event that he lands the NOC-K role.
“I don't intend to resign from my position as Hit Squad head coach. I will still guide the team. We have some important events ahead of us that we need to prepare for including the forthcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games in July and the AIBA World Women Boxing Championship slated for March in Turkey,” said Musa.
Musa said they would raise a provisional squad at the conclusion of the second edition of the inaugural President Jamal Cup slated for Kisumu on Thursday.
“We have 13 categories for men and 12 for female boxers. We are hoping to get the right boxers to fill the positions during the national trials in Kisumu,” he said.
