Kenya withdraws from Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau
Kenya on Tuesday confirmed its withdrawal from next month’s Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas to concentrate on hosting the IAAF world under-18 athletics championships.
The IAAF World Youth Athletics Championship 2017 (WYC) will be held from 12 to 16 July in Nairobi Kenya and The Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) will start on 19 July in Bahamas and go on till 23 July.To top that flying time of a commercial airline is around 24-26 hours, as all the available flights from Kenya to Bahamas will have at-least two stop overs, including one in USA, which makes it almost impossible for young athletes to compete in both events.
“After due considerations and deliberations, I have been advised to inform you that we will not be in position to sponsor the team because most of resources have been committed to the World Under-18 Youth championships which Kenya is hosting,” top Kenyan sports official Haroun Komen said in a letter to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, which is responsible for the team’s participation at the Commonwealth Youth games.
“Subsequently, Kenya will not send a team to the Games.”
Ceylon Athletics reported about scheduling overlap on the article ‘Scheduling mishaps by World bodies leave youth athletes in quandary‘ in May 03rd where even Sri Lanka team forced to send two separate team for two youth events.
Kenya finished ninth behind winners Australia in the last Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in September 2015, but the country is already facing a reputational challenge of its own in staging the under-18 athletics championships after several top nations, including the United States, Britain and Japan pulled out of the event, citing security concerns.
The July 12-16 championships will be the first IAAF global youth athletics event to be held in Africa. It will also be the final edition of the championships as the IAAF shifts its focus from the under-18 age group to continental championships.
Scheduling mishaps by World bodies leave youth athletes in quandary
