Athletics Kenya (AK) plans to create county level Youth Training Camps across the country [Photo/Sportspesanews]
Retired General Jackson Tuwei has said discussions are taking place to establish a county level Youth Training Camp in all 47 counties in Kenya with the aim of nurturing talent. “We have already discussed with the chair of the Sports Committee in the Council of Governors (Paul Chepkwony, Kericho Governor) on how the counties can come into this. We have another meeting planned and he has promised to present the proposal to the council,” Tuwei said as reported by Capital FM.
This plan follows a discovery of youth talent noted during the IAAF World U18 Championship that took place last week at Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani, Nairobi.
He stated that the federation is searching for ways to start camps and equip them with the necessary equipment and training staff needed to nurture talent.
Tuwei believes that the number of qualified athletes in sprints and field events is wanting and has assured that athletes will indeed receive proper training to hone their skills.
The Chairman has confirmed that he will continue to work with the Kenyan athletes that represented the country in the U18 IAAF championship as many of them are aiming to compete at the junior level in the near future.
“The only challenge is that most of them are still in school and the only time to get them together is during the holidays. But we will keep tabs on them and when the trials come, we will definitely give them a chance,” Tuwei added.
He went on to congratulate the team for a performance that saw them finish fourth in the competition with a total of 15 medals, 4 gold, 7 silver, and 4 bronze.
“It was a very good performance because none of these athletes had been previously exposed to such an atmosphere. The pressure that comes with the expectation might have weighed down on them a bit but nonetheless, we are proud of their performance,” Tuwei noted.