Fingers crossed for Mombasa Tong Il Moo Do Champs as Government Funds Delay

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 27 – National Tong Il Moo Do team captain Elvis Malipe is hopeful the government will disburse funds in time for the 12^th edition of the Mombasa Open International Championships at the Aga Khan Hall.

Malipe said the delay has affected the arrival of officials for the tournament as well as critical equipment.  

“There has been some delay but we are still looking forward to getting some funding from the Ministry of Sports so that we can bring in the officials who have not come yet and the critical supplies that are required for the running of the tournament. For that reason, we decided to postpone the event to the weekend of August 31 to September 1^st,” Malipe, also the assistant secretary general of the Kenya Tong Il Moo Do Federation, said.

Malipe added that discussions with Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen have been fruitful, with the CS reiterating the government’s commitment to working closely with the so-called minor federations.

“We would like to appreciate the Ministry of Sports who have been funding us for the last 11 editions through the Sports Fund. We had a meeting with the CS and he reiterated his support for all the federations, including these other so-called smaller federations. They have been neglected for a while but we hope the narrative will change and we will also be invited to the table to have a share of the cake,” he said.

The annual tournament was set for last week but was pushed forward by four days due to delayed funding from the government.

The national team have been training in Mombasa for the last fortnight as some of the 27 foreign teams dock at the coastal city.

Malipe says the fiasco surrounding the delayed funding have not distracted the players from their training as they work towards defending their title.

“The national team has been training and preparing for this event since the year began. Of course, you know that when one edition ends, you immediately start preparing for the next one. That’s what we have been doing…we have been in camp for the last two weeks and hopefully, we will be able to defend our title,” he said.

Team Jasiri won last year’s edition for the 11^th time after amassing 191 medals, including 46 gold, 54 silver and 93 bronze.

Thus far, Turkey and India have arrived in Mombasa with others like Nigeria, the Philippines, Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Korea, and China, expected to arrive within the week.