Wario, Amina to lead Nairobi 2017 World U18 lobby team

Sports Cabinet Secretary Dr. Hassan Wario addressing journalists in Nairobi on August 25, 2016 when he disbanded the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) over the Rio Olympics fiasco and transferred their responsibilities to the Sports Kenya on interim basis.

Kenya will turn on her top Government officials and diplomats to lobby countries in a bid to stem the running boycott of the Nairobi 2017 IAAF World Under-18 Championships over security fears.

Organisers also confirmed world athletics governing body President, Lord Sebastian Coe would visit the country a month before the event to access the progress made in preparing for the track and field age showpiece.

Also Read: Report on 4 suspended top AK officials forwarded to IAAF

Defending champions America became the sixth and highest profile withdrawal from the July 12-16 event following in the steps of New Zealand, Britain, Australia, Canada and Switzerland.

Speaking on Tuesday, LOC chairman, Mwangi Muthee said they would assemble a team to sell the last edition of the biennial global track and field showpiece to the outside world led by Cabinet Secretaries, Amina Mohammed (Foreign Affairs) and Dr. Hassan Wario (Sports, Culture and the Arts).

“With contemporary nations who made it to Kenya plus top dignitaries, we will mobilise them for the event. We want every stone turned,” Muthee told the media after a Joint Executive Committee meeting for the event in Nairobi.

Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta dispatched a high powered Government delegation led by Amina and Wario to petition the World Anti-Doping Agency to rescind its decision to declare Kenya non-complaint with the WADA Code following the doping crisis that threatened the participation of the track and field team at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

According to the plan, the high powered Nairobi 2017 lobby team is expect to visit the nations that pulled out of the event in a bid to convince them to rescind their decisions despite the fact they have declared they would not prepare their teams to attend the IAAF event.