World U 18 LOC-CEO Mwangi Muthee hands over equipemnts to Athletics Kenya Paul Mutwii and Barnabas Korir.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 20 – With 21 days left before Kenya hosts the IAAF World U18 Championships, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) on Tuesday entered into a partnership to support the showpiece to be held at Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium from July 12 -16.
KTB has pledged Sh20m that will go towards supporting the event in a bid to create a positive alternative narrative to the rest of the world ahead of the August General Elections.
“The IAAF World U18 Championships will afford Kenya the opportunity to host more than 2,000 athletes from more than 130 countries from varied parts of the world. We see this as an opportunity to cast a spotlight on the best that our country will have the privilege of hosting more than 300 local and international media. We will, therefore, seize this moment to prime Kenya as a sports destination,” KTB CEO, Betty Radier.
First held in 1999, the IAAF World U18 Championships (formerly named the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics up to November 2015) is a global athletics event comprising track and field events for competitors aged 17 years and below.
“We are proud to be in partnership with the Kenya Tourism Board. The World U18 Championships are a great opportunity for us to honor our youth and promote the best of Kenya. Preparations are in high gear and I would like to urge all Kenyans to turn up in high numbers and support our athletes,” LOC Chief Executive Officer, Mwangi Muthee said.
Kenya is the second African nation after Morocco to be accorded the opportunity to host the event. During the first event – held in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1999 – Kenya displayed an extra sterling performance and topped the medal standings.
In 2014, Kenya won the bid to host 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships with the defining slogan and proposition statement “Home of Champions”.
