AK’s directive on athletes’ medical cover is a step in the right direction

Athletics Kenya’s decision that athletes without comprehensive medical insurance cover will not be allowed to participate at international championships is well intended and should not be interpreted as a move to bar anybody from taking part in such events.

Since runners have been forced to hang their spikes prematurely after sustaining injuries, the medical insurance will be of great help to them as they try to seek treatment should they fall sick abroad.

In the past, many athletes have sustained serious injuries during training and competition while others have even succumbed to the injuries, losing their careers. This has brought disputes with their managers, especially when they travel abroad to participate in international championships with the hope of winning prize monies.

However, when these dreams are not realised, they are often abandoned by their promoters and are forced to seek assistance elsewhere.

In the past, some have even had accidents and died while competing abroad. For instance, Kenyan athlete, Barnabas Kipkoech, died on November 30 last year in Goiania, the capital of the Brazilian State of Goias.

Because he was not insured, his family encountered difficulty in transporting the body back and had to appeal for assistance. Kipkoech is reported to have collapsed and later died while competing at a half-marathon in the central-western city of the South American nation.

However, the move may also lock out some athletes who are not able to meet the expenses involved in securing medical cover. Perhaps the best way to implement the new policy is to force all managers and promoters to insure all athletes under their care.