How NOC-K plans to increase medal haul at Paris Olympics

© Nairobi News

OLYMPICS How NOC-K plans to increase medal haul at Paris Olympics

Abigael Wafula 11:00 - 30.03.2023

Mutuku said one of their major objectives is to increase the number of athletes to the event.

With less than 500 days to go for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, the National Olympic Committee is working tirelessly to ensure that they increase the medal haul in the world-class event.

NOC-K Secretary General Francis Mutuku disclosed that their first objective is to increase the number of athletes who will go to the global event.

He noted that they expect the team to be sent for the Olympics to be competitive and ensure they achieve podium finish in most if not all of the events Kenya will be represented.

“We want to place the athletes at the center of our planning. Our first objective is to increase the number of athletes to go for the Olympics. We want the athletes to go there and be competitive and increase our medal haul.

In the past, we have only gotten medals from athletics and boxing and we want to extend that great performance to other sports disciplines,” Mutuku said, as quoted by Nation Sport.

In order to achieve the target, Mutuku revealed that they have identified top athletes and granted them scholarships to enable them train effectively. He sighted Malkia Strikers and the women’s 3x3 basketball national team.

He added that they will be keen to monitor their training. He revealed that they will be sending a team to France to train and compete there.

“For an event like athletics, we expect the athletes who are doing extremely well at the moment to represent us well and finish in the podium bracket. We have also identified seven athletes who will benefit from the scholarship,” he said.

Mutuku also said that selecting a lead team to plan for the event in good time will enable them to avoid last minute rush. The team was selected in January and it will be led by Kenya Judo Association chairman Shadrack Maluki who is the chef de mission.

He will work alongside Wanjiru Karani Mbugua (CEO), Dr. James Ondiege (chief medical officer) and Dimmy Kisalu (team manager).

He observed that last minute rush affects the level of performance of athletes and they will ensure there will be no repeat of events that happened during last year’s World Championships in Oregon where Africa 100m Ferdinand Omanyala could not travel in good time due to visa hitches.

“We shall work together with the management team to ensure that the athletes get their visas in good time. For the athletes under the scholarship, we are already planning for them. We shall also be keen to work on the transport element early,” he said.