Tae Kwon do teams keep airing dirty linen in public

The door was slammed on the Tae Kwon do team entered by the Games Management Committee to represent Kenya at the All Africa Games here. Instead, the team brought here on Wednesday by a faction not aligned to the Government side, entered their athletes for competition and were due to start action yesterday evening.

Negotiations to end the impasse, called by Chef De Mission Gordon Oluoch and attended by National Olympic Committee of Kenya chairman, Kipchoge Keino and Chairman of Kenya National Sports Council (KNSC), became a cropper.

Suleiman Sumba and Oyoo Wasonga, who are calling the shots at continental and international bodies, while also claiming legitimacy in the Kenyan Tae Kwon do Federation, could not allow the 11 players to participate.

Wasonga, who is an international referee/judge, was the one conducting weigh-in, the first step to allow licensed players participate in an international competition, at the Talangai Hall. Major Sumba, also Vice President of the African Tae Kwondo Union, is the one authorised to issue licenses for players, a prerequisite for participation in an international competition.

In a mixture of a clear show of defiance and invoking power and influence pertaining to international positions, Wasonga and Sumba blocked the 11 from the weigh-in and proceeded to weigh in players from their group. However, Wasonga seemed keen to cede ground to allow the players to participate, especially those whose weights were missing from their own line up. “We will not negotiate on this. The rules are very clear and the Government has no direct role in this. What they can do is facilitate travel and pay allowances. We engaged them, but did not accept to compromise. I feel bad that a young player like this one won’t play,” Wasonga told Kenyan reporters at the hall.

Oluoch, on the other hand, was adamant that they cannot allow anarchy in federations, to the extent of showing disrespect and defiance at the international stage. “We are becoming a laughing stock just because some people are using their positions in international bodies to sabotage the country. These positions should be used to expose players, not as personal property or to hold a whole nation to ransom,” Oluoch told team managers at the daily morning briefing.

Vincent Dock was drawn against Tunisian, Seifeldin Eltarabolsi in the under 68 category.