Chris Musumba
16 May 2008
Nairobi — Uganda's 5,000m World Championships bronze medallist, Moses Kipsiro, leads over 30 foreign athletes to Friday's New KCC Athletics Tour track and field meeting at the Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega.
The competition, which will also be the sixth and final round of the New KCC-sponsored Athletics Kenya (AK) track and field series, is expected to lure top local athletes as they begin preparations for the Beijing Olympics.
AK and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya will also use the meeting to pick one young runner who will travel to Beijing as a special guest of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The meeting will also be used to celebrate the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Day.
Uganda, who are sending 24 athletes, has the biggest foreign delegation in the meet.
Competitive races
Other countries that have sent their athletes for the track and field event competition are Zambia, Malawi, Gambia, Liberia, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Guyana and Rwanda.
Tanzania had not sent its list of athletes by Thursday although Afundi remained hopeful they would make it.
Local organisers are looking forward to competitive races as most of the Kenyan team that competed at the recent African Athletics Championship in Addis Ababa are expected to take part.
Athletics Kenya's Western branch chairman, Francis Afundi, said All Africa Games 3,000m steeplechase champion Ruth Bosibori, All Africa Games 1,500m gold medallist Asbel Kiprop and Africa 800m champion, Pamela Chelimo, are all expected to participate.
"All arrangements for the two-day event are complete. Bukhungu Stadium has one of the best tracks in the country. It's also in great shape after recent renovations by the Mumias Sugar Company. We expect a tough competition," said Afundi.
Deputy Prime Minister, Musalia Mudavadi and Sports minister, Helen Sambili are expected to attend the weekend meeting.
Police teams
Afundi said junior athletes will compete in track (100m to 3,000m) and field events (except hammer and pole vault) with their seniors.
The top three finishers will be given bales of sugar by Mumias Sugar Company plus milk and other dairy products courtesy of the title sponsors New KCC.
Foreign athletes expected include Kipsiro, John Adari, Justina Baiga (Uganda), Tonny Wamulwa, Elized Banda (Zambia) and Master Chauncy.
Others are Lucia Chandamale (Malawi), Bakari Jabbi, Ansu Sowe (Gambia), Bee Cynthia (liberia) and Mohammed Farah (Djibouti).
Chaminba Indika (Sri-Lanka), Clavelamba Forbe (Guyana) and Anjeline Marinyiransa (Rwanda) are also expected to participate.
Organisers held a two-day mini-championship at the stadium involving police teams from Western Province.
The province's policemen and women are preparing for their national championships to be held at the Nyayo National Stadium on June 6-7.
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