Nairobi — Athletics brought in all the 14 medals that Kenya won in the Beijing Olympic Games that ended last week. The country was represented in five disciplines in the games -- athletics, boxing, rowing, swimming and taekwondo.

None of the other disciplines won a medal, with boxing coming in for criticism following the dismal performance of Kenyan boxers.

The downward trend of boxing standards in the country can be traced to the winding up of two clubs -- Kenya Breweries and Posta in the early 1990's.

Hit squad

Kenya Breweries wound up in the early 1990's while Posta stopped recruiting young boxers and let the club die a natural death.

In the 1980's, the two clubs produced the bulk of boxers in the national boxing team, 'Hit Squad,'

Breweries produced Ibrahim 'Surf' Bilali (light-flyweight), Isaiah Ikhoni (bantamweight), John 'Duran' Wanjau (featherweight) and Daniel Mwangi (flyweight).

Others were John 'Iron fist' Mbugua (lightweight), Raphael Stingo (heavyweight), the late Robert Wangila Napunyi (welterweight), Hussein 'Juba' Khalili (bantamweight), Stephen 'Black Bomber' Moi (middleweight), Charles Owiso (light-welterweight) and Mohammed Abdalla Kent (heavyweight), among others.

The most celebrated boxer was Napunyi, who gave Africa its first Olympic gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

A year earlier, Napunyi was part of Kenya's squad that clinched the fourth All Africa Games title in Nairobi by collecting eight gold medals.

From Breweries also came long serving chairman, Masden Madoka, the former MP for Mwatate.

The Posta produced the secretary-general Harrison Kilonzo.

While Madoka used to provide residential training facilities for boxers at Ruaraka, his successor, Peter Waweru, and his committee have to dig deep in their pockets to put the boxers in camp.

The two clubs were affiliated to Nairobi Provincial ABA. The two officials were responsible for the introduction of a national boxing league, Yamashita Trophy. It kept boxers busy from January to December. Clubs used to play on a home-and-away basis.

However, the league format was changed and everything fell apart.

Instead of clubs meeting on a home-and-away basis, all teams now assemble at one venue and a draw is done.

Coaches have complained about the format because at times boxers of the same weight category never get to face each other throughout the season. It is impossible to rank the boxers.

The boxers also lack international exposure.

Previously, the inter-cities tournament would measure the strength of boxers from Kenya and Uganda while the Kings Cup was like a mini-Olympics.

Kenya also used to take part in the annual East and Central Africa Boxing championships, which is not the case any more.

Then there is the casual manner the Kenya Open Championship is taken. The tournament was meant to be in the same league as the American Golden Gloves contest. All American boxers must go through the event to qualify for the Olympics.

The Kenya Open used to experience plenty of upsets and those without jobs used the occasion to move to institutional clubs.

Top honours

Steve Muchoki, one of the best light-flyweights Kenya has ever produced, was picked from such a selection.

By the time the new format of the league was adopted, Breweries had closed down while Posta was on the death bed.

The competition for top honours now remains between uniformed forces -- Police, Army, Prisons and Administration Police.

The Nairobi City Council also used to play a major role in the development of the game through their welfare section.

The council used to supply all their social halls with boxing gear -- gloves, punching bags and skipping ropes. They also used to hire coaches who earned a small stipend. Inter-social halls tournaments were organised on regular basis. All that is no more. The halls have been hired out to churches and the remaining few are no longer supplied with equipment.

The City Council used to host international events like the annual Brunner-Urafiki trophy between Kenya and Uganda.

Many potential boxers in residential estates have turned to drugs due to lack of recreational facilities.

The other burning issue involves coaching. The ABA seems to have decided that their Competition Secretary and his assistant will always be the national team coach and assistant.

One wonders what basis the ABA uses to pick coaches. Why Muthee Mwangi of Nakuru, who got Kenya four Olympic qualifies in Namibia, was dropped from the Beijing squad remains a mystery.

Boxing seems to be the only sport where a wining combination is changed.

The ABA must go back on the drawing board and restructure themselves to avoid another debacle in four years time.