NAIROBI, Kenya, February 12 – Fourteen countries have been invited for this year’s national cross country championships cum trials.Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Ethiopia, Morocco, Djibouti, Burundi, Rwanda, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Eritrea and Algeria have all been invited to the one day event which will be held at Ngong racecourse on February 21.
Athletics Kenya will use the champions to select Kenya’s team for this year’s World Cross Country Championships scheduled for next month in Amman.
According to the selection criteria, the first four athletes across the line will automatically make the team with the other two being decided by the panel of selectors.
The championships will start at 8 am with the junior women 6km race followed by the junior boys’ race. The senior women’s 8K race will then follow with the men’s 12k race bringing the curtains down.
Winners of the senior men and women categories will earn Sh50,000 each while the first runners up will take home Sh30,000. The cash prizes will trickle all the way down to tenth position.
Consequently, Athletics Kenya has asked all affiliates to submit their final entry forms before 16.2.2009 at 4p.m.
In the junior categories, the entry forms must be accompanied by proof of age i.e. copies of birth certificates, passports, letters from head teachers properly signed and stamped, baptism certificates, notification of births and any other relevant document.
The dates of birth for the junior will be strictly vetted before the athlete entered is allowed to participate. If any affiliate is found to have entered an old or underage athlete in the junior categories, then a severe disciplinary action will be taken against the affiliate concerned.
Individual entries will not be accepted unless there will be merit to accept an individual entry.
Doping will also be conducted by the appointed authorities and should co-operate when picked for same.
The course inspection will be done on 20.2.2009 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the team leaders who would like to visit the course will have to contact the Technical Director Dan Muchoki for necessary arrangements.