Preparations for the 3rd Betika/Athletics Kenya Track and Field Weekend Meet are complete, according to organiser officials.
The event set to take place on the 14th and 15th of March at the Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex in Kapsabet Town is expected to attract local, national and even international athletes.
The Chairperson, Athletics Kenya Central Rift Valley, Abraham Mutai, engaged reporters after assessing the preparations at Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex, where he urged athletes to take advantage of the free registration and come in large numbers.
“We want to make sure that many athletes are registered because this event is an open one, and we are working closely with our sponsors to make sure the event is successful,” he said.
Mutai applauded facilities installed at the Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex stadium noting that it will provide a favourable environment for the anticipated track and field events.
“The Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex is one of the best grounds we have come across, considering we have been to Thika and Mumias and I can confidently say this is one of the best grounds and so we will be coming back to Kapsabet for future events,” he said.
The competition director, Kennedy Tanui, explained that the forthcoming event is to be the last of its kind of the Road to Tokyo series before athletes converge for the final preparations.
“This is the end of what we call the murram preparation tracks; after this the real qualification to Tokyo starts, and we urge every athlete who has the potential of qualifying for world athletic events to come and gauge themselves as this is the final step,” he said.
He revealed that the 10,000-metre women will start off the event, followed by 400-meter hurdles and 100-metre sprints, adding that athletes will participate in eleven track events during the two-day competitions.
Nandi County Chief Executive Committee Member for Sports, Youth Affairs and Art, Rose Angira, affirmed the county has put all preparations in place to ensure the event was successful.
“We are happy that as a county we are hosting an event of such magnitude for the first time. I ensure all the athletes that preparations are in place and those who may require accommodation, we have rooms in the Complex host rooms to your liking, and because of the weather, the event will start early and I urge all Nandi residents to come out in large numbers to support their champions,” she said.
By Geoffrey Satia and Derrence Ogada
