The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has rejected a list of athletes that never took part in the Africa Youth Games from participating in the fourth coming Youth Olympics.
Team Kenya Chef de Mission to the Games, Anthony Kariuki, said that efforts by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) to have athletes who attained qualifying marks from other championships besides the Africa Youth Games were rejected by IOC.
“The IOC insisted that the selection of athletes drawn from various disciplines be based on those that participated at Africa Youth Games held July 18-28 in Algiers, Algeria which they consider as the Youth Olympics qualifiers.
Disclosed Monday that the team was selected exclusively from disciplines that took part
Kariuki noted that their efforts to lobby for athletes who attained qualifying marks from other championships besides the Africa Youth Games hit a snag after the organisers turned down their request.
That effectively locks out plans by
IOC’s decision means that plans by Athletics Kenya (AK) to include athletes who have qualifying times away from the Africa Youth Games has hit a snag.
Consequently, the decision means that Kenya will now be represented by five boys and five girls in athletics.
They include javelin throwers Martha Nthanza Musai, winner of gold in girls’ category at the Africa Youth Games and silver medalist Ita Nao.
They include gold medalist at the Africa Youth Games including Fancy Cherono (2,000m steeplechase), World Under-18 1,500m bronze medallist Edinah Jebitok (1500m, girls) and Nickson Pariken (1500m, boys).
Silver medalists Dennis Mutuku Matheka (2,000m steeplechase) and Angela Ndungwa (800m)
The bronze winners in the team are Mercy Chepkorir (3000m) who missed out on World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland owing to faulty traveling documents, Jackson Kavesa (3000m) and East Africa Secondary Schools champion Francis Leshoo (800m).
At the previous Youth Olympics in Nanjing in 2014, China, Kenya secured five medals which included two gold, two silver and one bronze all from athletics.
The third edition of the Youth Olympics will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 6-18. It will be the first Summer Youth Olympic Games to be held outside of Asia (also first in the Southern and Western Hemispheres), and the first Youth Games for either summer or winter to be held outside Eurasia.
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