ATHLETICS Mark Otieno highlights importance of African Games to Kenyan athletes

Mark Otieno has revealed the importance of the African Games to Kenyan athletes after the government succumbed to pressure and increased slots for them following a standoff.

Former 100m national record holder Mark Otieno has voiced the importance of the African Games to Kenyan athletes after the government reversed its initial decision to facilitate just one athlete per category at the event set to take place in Accra Ghana later this month.

The National Sports Council had reduced the slots by 50 per cent from the 2019 African Games, with Athletics Kenya (AK) allocated 35 slots, 30 of whom were athletes (16 men and 14 women) plus five officials, due to what it termed limited funding.

But with athletics contributing 20 of the 31 medals Kenya won at the last edition, the athletes would hear none of it, insisting on the known tradition of selecting three athletes per discipline at the trials as long as they met the qualifying marks.

Eventually, the Government did succumb to pressure and increased the number of slots for athletes to the African Games following a standoff over limited opportunities on Tuesday.

This has not stopped the athletes from continuing to voice their concerns, and Otieno, who returned to competitive action after serving a two-year doping ban, was one of them.

“I mean, it’s not fair. I wanted to start with Africa because it is a starting place even trying to look for qualification for the Olympics,” Otieno told Sports Eye Sports.

“Just looking at the list and seeing that just one athlete is being selected per event is quite shocking and something that has never happened.

“Issues with money have happened in the past but now when it comes to selection-given I know many athletes have worked really hard going for the all African games, (it is not fair).”

Otieno has revealed that the African Games are good opportunities for athletes who fail to reach the standards required to compete at higher levels to gain exposure and also earn a living.

“Maybe this is someone else’s standard that they can only achieve All African Games but cannot qualify for the Olympics and they really want to enter the event, get some allowance and invest on his or her next event," he added.

The athletes had been informed of the decision initially through word of mouth, with no official statement being made, which they felt was an informal way fo doing things.

“It is a trust issue over here because judging by the past and how things have been handled, I think athletes have reached a place where they don’t want something through word of mouth, but through writing," he said.

“In writing, they would have the assurance that this is clear that we can participate knowing that three people can be taken.

“If we do it by mouth, guys will say that; ‘I remember in 2019’ I was removed out of the team so they don’t want such a thing to happen.”

The athletes had reluctantly agreed to take part in the trials after their bosses at Kenya Defence Forces, Kenya Police and Kenya Prisons, where most of them are drawn from, reminded them that they are representing the disciplined forces but the latest development will quell the tensions somewhat.

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