Xinhua, Nairobi :
Kenya’s delegation will travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina later this month to present their bid status to the IAAF Council meeting for hosting the 2020 World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi.
The bid committee will be led by Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei. The IAAF Council meeting in Buenos Aires will run on July 26-27.
Tuwei has however noted that Kenya will be required to meet several conditions, among them guarantees of government funding, anti-doping measures and provision of specific equipment for junior athletes to win the bid.
“The success of the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi last year gave us confidence to bid for other events. The IAAF is seriously considering us but we shall have to work hard and plan for the events,” said Tuwei on Tuesday.
Athletics Kenya (AK) Youth Development Committee head Barnaba Korir says the country’s top performance at the just concluded World Junior (Under-20) Championships in Tampere, Finland and the huge turnout of fans during the 2017 World Youth Championships in Nairobi will boost Kenya’s bid.
Korir said Kenya used the junior event in Finland to pitch for support from member federations and IAAF President Sebastian Coe for the rights to stage the elementary competition and believes their effort will be successful.
“The IAAF Council will offer direction on the status of our bid and that will inform what we require to successfully stage the competition,” said Korir.
