Needy athletes from Iten Sub-County in Elgeyo Marakwet County got a major boost after they received 1,000 pairs of shoes from ‘In Your Shoes’ an Italian NGO to aid them in training.
Francisco Grimeldi said his organisation annually collects second-hand shoes from running clubs and communities from all over Europe to donate to needy but talented athletes.
Grimeldi said 200 pairs of shoes were donated to female athletes, 500 to male athletes, while the rest will be given to students of St. Patrick’s and Singore Girls High School to aid them in their training.
He said they had chosen to donate the shoes to athletes in Iten because of its legendary status in athletics, with athletes from all over the world coming to train in Iten.
Kenneth Kemboi, an athlete training in Iten, said the shoes will go a long way in assisting them, saying many of them run in shoes not favourable for training, citing plastic shoes which affect their training.
He appealed to other companies, not just foreign but local, including renowned athletes, to assist upcoming athletes by providing them with training gear as they are the future, saying they will keep the country on the world map once the celebrated ones retire.
Silas Tiren from Athletics Kenya called on the Kenya Revenue Authority to consider waiving taxes for such goods which are coming to assist Kenyans, saying the taxes will discourage those willing to assist from undertaking such charitable activities.
Tiren said lack of proper shoes for training was one of the major challenges facing needy but talented athletes in the country, saying for one to train well they needed proper training facilities.
He said this was the sixth time that the NGO was donating shoes to athletes in Iten and appealed to more sponsors to come on board and support athletes not only in Iten but countrywide, saying not all athletes have signed contracts with shoe companies.
Tiren appealed to athletes not to tarnish the sports by using prohibited substances, saying major athletes who have brought fame to the country never used drugs but used their God-given talents.
He said AK condemned gender-based violence, which he said involved both men and women, and urged them to speak out so that they could be helped instead of keeping quiet and resulting in tragedy.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich said his government was putting efforts into profiling the county as a sports destination, saying the County will on 12th–13th host the continental cycling competition, on 19th host the national cross country championships, and on November 24, the county will host the Iten marathon.
By Alice Wanjiru
