Preparations for 2010 African Athletics Championships back on track

Submitted by editor on 29 October 2009 - 2:41pm
African athletes during the 3000m women S/C at the 16th edition of the championships in Addis-Ababa 2008

After months of delay and uncertainty, preparations for the 17th African Athletics Championships in Nairobi next summer have finally commenced.

The flagship senior African athletics event will hold from July 28 to August 1, 2010, despite initial problems with funding and government red-tape.

Speaking with AthleticsAfrica.Com, in his hotel in Birmingham, UK weeks back, the President of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Hamad Kalkaba-Malboum assured that the event will take place and that hosting the event is good for Kenya.

Organisers say the delayed event secretariat at the Nyayo National Stadium is now operational and a high-powered marketing team from CAA is expected in the country on November 3.

"The CAA senior marketing officials from Dakar will be arriving here to work with our team led by Sue Omanga on the ways in partnership with the media, we can get the stadium full for the five days and generate revenue," Nairobi 2010 CEO, David Okeyo, told The Standard.

"We are working to ensure we host a great event and all the problems we had in the past are beyond us now after government fulfilled its commitments to the championships," Okeyo said.

He also revealed that ordering of the equipment required for the event would begin next week and all requirements are expected to be met before the 4th KCC/Athletics Kenya weekend meeting - a test-run meet - on April 24 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani

"This will be a big meeting where all officials who will be involved in the championships will be present.

"We will field athletes in all track and field disciplines to give the facilities we have a thorough test while affording us two months to rectify what will go wrong, acquiring what we will be missing and making improvements," Okeyo added.

Meanwhile, Ernest Obeng, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)'s head of broadcasting rounded up his visit to the country with a tour of the Kasarani stadium and and gave the Local Organising Committee thumbs-up.