Calls for legislation to help curb increasing cases of violations against female athletes by their coaches and managers dominated the official launch of the Memorial Agnes Tirop World Cross Country Tour in Eldoret town.
The global event is scheduled to be held at Lobo Village, Kapseret, in Uasin Gishu County on February 12, 2022.
It is the first that Kenya is hosting the World Cross Country Tour, and the event has been named Memorial Agnes Tirop World Cross Country Tour – in honor of fast-rising 5,000 m and cross country athlete Agnes Tirop who was killed, allegedly by her husband, who was also her coach.
Speaking during the event, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amb. Amina Mohammed agreed with a section of leaders who called on coming up with policies that will ensure only qualified individuals are certified to be coaches and managers for athletes.
“Not everybody can be a coach. You can’t wake up one morning and be a coach,” noted Amb. Mohammed.
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“When I took over this docket, I made it clear that we wanted to make sure everybody that came into contact with athletes, especially the female should have their best interests, not those after enriching themselves and use them as mistresses,” she added.
Earlier, Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago had called for coming up with a legal formula that would be used to certify coaches.
Mandago said as devolved units in the North Rift region, they are ready to come up with legislations that will protect athletes from being misused by their coaches.
“I request Athletics Kenya (AK) to set proper standards for one to qualify as an athletics coach to eliminate quarks masquerading as coaches,” the governor said.
The trials to select a team that will represent Kenya for the Memorial Agnes Tirop World Cross Country Tour are set to be held later this January.
