Track and field athletes arrive in Rio

PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA HAND OVER FLAG TO KENYA OLYMPIC TEAM TO RIO Kenya Athletic Team during the handing over flag to Rio Olympics at State House, Nairobi on Friday 22/07/16.PHOTO:BONIFACE OKENDO

The athletics team landed safely in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday evening after a standoff at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which had threatened to abort the trip.

The team had threatened not to travel to Brazil after it was realised world javelin champion Julius Yego and 1,500m world silver medallist Elijah Manangoi had no tickets.

The issue forced the other athletes to threaten not to leave for Brazil unless Yego and Manangoi were in the same flight with them, but the issue was finally sorted out and the team checked in at Tom Jobim International Airport shortly after 6pm.

At the airport, the team was received by Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario and National Olympic Committee-Kenya president Kipchoge Keino, who received an award during the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.

Among those that arrived were Julius Yego and his coach Joseph Musonik. Yego had been vocal on social media, saying he had been forced to travel without his coach.

Also in the batch that jetted in were Olympic champion David Rudisha and world champion Vivian Cheruiyot.

Wario, who arrived in Brazil last Wednesday, told the athletes to put what had happened behind them and concentrate on what brought them to Brazil and that is to win medals.

While in camp earlier in the day, Wario had also called on Team Kenya members to have a focal point of communication and asked athletes not talk to foreign media, saying some of them could use the interviews in bad faith.

He said throughout the Olympics he had agreed with the team management that communications on Team Kenya would come either from the Chef de Mission, the Principal Secretary or himself.

Meanwhile, the two Kenyan swimmers at the Olympics are out after taking part in their first events on Sunday morning.

Talisa Lanoe finished last in heat two of the 100m backstroke after clocking 1:10.02 while Hamdan Bayusuf was sixth in the first heat of the men 100m backstroke after clocking 1:00.28.