Let Paul Tergat take athletics to the next level now

President NOC-K Paul Tergat cast his vote during the NOCK General Assembly meeting at PrideInn, Nairobi on Thursday, December 9, 2021. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) elected new officials on Thursday. Majority of incumbents retained their seats for another four years.

Paul Tergat, former world marathon record holder and President NOCK, retained his position alongside Shadrack Maluki (first Deputy President), Waithaka Kioni (second Deputy President), Francis Mutuku (Secretary-General), Eliud Kariuki (treasurer), John Ogola (deputy treasurer), Paurvi Rawal (women representative) while Paul Otula and Winnie Kamau also retained their executive member seats.

Shoaib Mohamed, who was an executive member, returned as deputy secretary-general. Barnabas Korir, the Athletics Kenya Nairobi chairman, emerged as a newcomer on the executive board.

World 5000m champion Hellen Obiri and former Kenya Sevens captain Humphrey Kayange retained their positions as Athlete Representatives. Although the local Olympic body failed the gender balance test as more men occupied top positions in the executive, Kenyans have confidence in Tergat and his team.

He is a man of many hats – a five-time world cross country champion, Olympic 10,000m silver medalist, two-time world 10,000m silver medalist, International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive member, and a Lieutenant Colonel at the Kenya Air Force, as a bonus.

Such an impressive CV makes Kenyans expect a lot from his leadership. The new office, under his leadership, should steer the 33 Olympic sports disciplines to a new level in the four-year cycle.

The Tergat-led team should work on a strategic plan between now and 2024 to allow them to coordinate and prepare teams adequately for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom, and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Apart from major events, we expect the new NOCK office to come up with programmes to churn out more talents across the country. There is need to bridge the existing gap between the old guard and youngsters.

According to NOCK’s financial report, the national Olympic body receives Sh100m annually from American sportswear apparel Nike – an amount too little compared to the premium of Kenyan athletics stars and it can be an equivalent of what at least three top World Marathon Major series stars earn in shoe contracts, appearance, and endorsements in major races.

We expect Tergat and his team to tackle issues on mental health among sportsmen and women, which is on a rise. At the moment, a sizeable number of athletes are suffering in silence. Tergat and the team have their work cut out.