Officials defend showing
ByReuters
Published 16/08/2005 at 10:51 GMT
Kenyan athletics chiefs have defended their team's performance in Helsinki but suggested coaches should be retrained after public criticism. "A commendable performance by any standards considering that economic giants like South Africa who sent 80 athlete
ATHLETICS 2005 Helsinki 2005 Kenya 10000m
Image credit: Imago
"We were 10th on the table standings, China had only one silver, Japan two bronzes, Australia one bronze. Why the fuss about Kenya...?" asked Kenyan secretary general Okeyo.
Hitherto unfancied Benjamin Limo won a 5,000 metres gold on the last day of the championships, to spare Kenya's blushes. In recent previous championships Kenya, a distance and middle distance powerhouse, had won at least two individual golds.
Former world 10,000 metres champion Moses Tanui called for the disbanding of Athletics Kenya, echoing public concern.
Athletics Kenya chairman Isaiah Kiplagat, who had suggested in Helsinki that coaches should be sacked, softened his stance on Monday saying they should be retrained so that the best ones were selected for international competitions.
Kiplagat told reporters in Helsinki that the Athletics Kenya Coaches Commission have a habit selecting wrong coaches for
global assignments because they operated on a rotational basis.
"They base their selection of coaches on rotation among key stakeholders like armed forces, prisons, police, etc. In the end, we have different coaches for every major assignment," said Kiplagat.
But head coach Dan Muchoki and assistant Peter Mathu complained of interference from agents before and during the championships.
"Kenya has some of the best coaches in the world. Blaming them is to divert attention from the real issues. Let us train as a team and keep agents away from national teams," said Muchoki.
Mathu said agents ended up controlling athletics.
"We can't go anywhere if agents are literally running athletics in this country, controlling our calendar of events and giving conflicting instructions to athletes from what coaches are doing," said Mathu.
"While in Helsinki, officials were always in their hotels and not visiting athletes to raise their morale. Kiplagat himself came only once," he said.
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