By Cynthia Ochieng
The Government has announced ongoing efforts to come up with a regulation that will ensure only junior athletes in schools are selected to represent the country at international competitions.
According to Sports Chief Administrative (CAS) Secretary Wesley Korir, the Ministry is working with Athletics Kenya (AK) in developing the regulations.
Korir, a former Boston Marathon champion revealed that the regulation will ensure only athletes that complete secondary schools are eligible for national duties.
This, the CAS says will encourage athletes to stay in school for their education, while at the same time, their talent is being nurtured.
“Education is vital to our kids, most especially our girls. The Ministry of Education is working closely with my department to ensure that all girls, especially the juniors, stay in school until they are of age to make the right decisions for themselves,” said Korir.
He further stated that they are working on a policy that will ensure all juniors who represent the country belong to schools that are well-recognized by the ministry.
The CAS also directed all junior athletics camps operating outside schools to be closed immediately.
He further cited that all senior training camps in the country should not have juniors admitted to them.
“We will only recognize training camps in our schools; we will not acknowledge any other training camps that are outside the school premises. We must not only keep a track record of our children’s performance in class but also nurture their talents in sports and the creative industry collectively,” said the CAS.
Centres of excellence
Meanwhile, the former Cherangany Member of Parliament has revealed plans by the government to establish centres of excellence in training in high schools.
The centres, the CAS said, will ensure that the girls get an opportunity to be easily connected to the senior team as well as continue training as they wait to join the senior team.
This is part of the initiatives being rolled out under the Talant Hela Program.
According to the CAS, the program that was recently rolled out will raise, nurture and motivate young girls by monetizing their talents in sports.
The initiative also aims to identify schools that will act as academies to nurture certain sports.
