Nairobi — Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has once again assured all sportsmen and women in Kenya of the government's support in their efforts to qualify for this year's Olympic Games in Paris.
With 200 days before the opening ceremony on June 26 at Stade de France, the CS said the quadrennial games will be the core priority for his ministry.
"In this year, the Olympics are the most significant and the top priority for the ministry and the government. We are happy that the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) are on track in terms of preparations and now starting today, and for the next 200 days, we will be taking track...taking stock. We'll be ticking every box on our priority list moving forward up to the opening ceremony," Namwamba said.
The CS said the whole government machinery will be rallying behind Kenyan sportsmen and women to ensure they have the conducive conditions for training and reaping optimal returns at the games.
"We are providing solid, strong support to all those athletes that are seeking to qualify. We are ready for this...ready to support Team Kenya and all our athletes you can be confident that your government is fully supportive of you. And, we are looking forward to watching you and witnessing you conquer the world," he said.
Echoing his boss's comments, Sports principal secretary Peter Tum said the ministry is already burning the midnight oil to fine-tune the teams or athletes who have already secured their tickets to the plane to the French capital.
"We are focused on the teams that have already qualified and we have already given adequate resources in terms of support to ensure they prepare adequately. For us as a ministry, we have to work with Nock to ensure the road to Olympics is well prepared," Tum said.
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Speaking at the same time, Nock president Paul Tergat said this year promises to be an exciting one for all sports enthusiasts, noting that the excitement is already palpable in the air.
" This is now the road...the excitement is already there. Two hundred days is very few in terms of preparation and presenting the team. The games is once in every four years and our job is to nurture the dreams of these sportsmen and women by presenting them into the Olympics," the five-time world cross country champion said.
So far, 40 athletes have qualified whereas one team -- the national rugby 7s side -- have secured their ticket to the games.
Other disciplines hoping to grace the grand stage include handball, wrestling, fencing, cycling, triathlon, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, beach volleyball, swimming, sports shooting and women's 3x3 basketball.
