Athletes cry foul as flights stopped

By KEVIN TUNOI

Nairobi, Kenya: Two Bahraini athletes heading for the world championships in Moscow, Russia, were forced to look for alternative means of transport after flights from the Eldoret International Airport to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi were cancelled.

The two were in Iten for training due to its high altitude and were on their way to Moscow via Eldoret after the completion of their training. The cancellation of two flights from Eldoret was occasioned by an inferno that engulfed the JKIA leading to diversion of flights to other airports.

3,000m Steeplechaser Tareq Mubarak and 10,000m Hassan Mahbub were expected to be in the Russian capital today to join their camp in preparation for the world championships.

 “My race is scheduled for the 12th and I feel I have been inconvenienced since I needed to be settled and get enough rest to participate in the championships,” stated Tareq.

The athlete expressed displeasure at the cancellation of the flights, adding that his colleague was to have his race on August 10 and the delay may affect his performance. Volunteer doctors and teachers from the United Kingdom who were heading to Mombasa from Eldoret were also affected.

“We now have been forced to incur extra cost because we have to opt for alternative means of transport, which is time consuming,” explained Paul Retty.