I AM WITH YOU ON THIS ONE: Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario supports AK’s decision to ban agents

2017 IAAF world youth Championship media brief.
Sports Cabinet Secreatry Hassan Wario and Athletics Kenya President Isaiah Kiplagat chat shortly after a media brief on the 2017 IAAF World Youth Championship on 09-12-2014 in Nairobi.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario has come to the defence of Athletics Kenya (AK), who suspended foreign agencies Rosa Associati, run by an Italian, Gabriele Rosa, and Volare Sports, run by the Dutchman Gerard van de Veen.

The two were suspended for six months pending investigations into a spate of doping cases involving Kenyan athletes. This comes barely a day after a Kenyan athletes’ meeting held in Eldoret, questioned the motive behind the duo’s ban and vowed to continue working with their Italian and Dutch managers.
However, in an interview with FeverPitch on the sidelines of the British-American Investment Company’s branding rights for Nyayo Stadium National Stadium, yesterday, Wario said with the establishment of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), they will not relent in their war against doping.

“We don’t care. If they (Rosa and Volare) are implicated in the issue of doping, they must clear their names first. It does not matter whether they are representing a big number of athletes or not, what we want is for those athletes to win clean. If you are doping to win, let both athletes and agents know that it will not work in Kenya. We are with AK on this one. We have started with two expects, and more will be suspended,” said Wario.

“We are trying our best to clean up the doping menace and with the formation of Adak and the support from Anti-Doping Norway (ADN) and China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA), we will not allow this vice to damage our sporting image.”

Britam, who won the bid, officially announced a two-year Sh80m branding rights deal with Sports Kenya for the 30,000-seater facility.

“What we have done at Kasarani and Nyayo is to bring the private sector into sports management. This trend is not new to us, but is an international movement. Kenya is the second country in Africa after South Africa to venture into such business.

STILL ON TRACK

As the government, we will leave it to the private sector and they will for sure get value for their money,” said Wario, who also revealed that the Jubilee government’s pre-election pledge of building five stadiums is still on track.

“We have close to Sh1 billion budgetary allocations for the stadia project in the next financial year. We have engaged consultants and we have already started a feasibility study. We will start with two in low and high altitudes (Mombasa and Eldoret), then others will follow.”

Speaking at the same function, Britam Director of Marketing and Corporate Affairs Muthoga Ngera said the company is pleased with the partnership.

“It is not a naming right deal, but it is all about branding. If we improve the services then we will be encouraging sports tourism. We will spend more than Sh80m in terms of improving the face of the stadium, changing rooms, VIP and terraces,” said Ngera.
“Our core business is to engage Kenyans and through this partnership, we will be encouraging fitness and a healthy nation. We will invest more in the sports industry.”