Kenyan boxers decry harsh weather

Kenya's Peter Abuti (right) and Njinnou Mouandat in past action. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenyan boxers, who are in Dubai for the Elite World Men Boxing Championships, have been affected by hot weather conditions in the Middle East city.

The event, which was supposed to box-off on Wednesday, failed to begin as organisers had not done the draws owing to late arrival of teams.

It also resulted in the postponement of the technical meeting for referees and judges, which comes after the draws.

The Kenyan boxers, who arrived late on Tuesday midnight after a six-hour flight, are happy to have landed safely, but the failure by the organising committee to work on draws as earlier scheduled (on Tuesday) allowed them time to acclimatisation to catch up with hot weather conditions.

"Weather conditions here (Dubai) are tough, but we are adapting to it, thanks to the delayed draws that gave us more time," team captain Boniface Mogunde said.

Most of the players equated the weather conditions in Dubai with that of Mombasa. The draws and the technical meeting were expected to be done simultaneously yesterday.

Mogunde appealed for prayers from the Kenyan boxing fraternity.

"Our players require a lot of players, which should see us come back with medals," he added.

National bantamweight champion Hassan Shaffi Bakari said they are trying to catch up with the tough weather conditions.

"The late draws really favoured our arrival, which allowed us more time for gym works and training," said Bakari.