Nock sends stern warning on cheating ahead of Youth Games team selections

Nock Secretary General, Francis Paul (left) and Stephen Soi  during the body’s consultative meeting in Nairobi, yesterday. [PHOTO: BONIFACE OKENDO/STANDARD]

By ERICK OCHIENG’

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Noc-K) has cautioned local sports federations against age cheating.

The strong warning was put accross as the country begins its preparations for next year’s Africa Youth Games, the Youth Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.

Nock Secretary General, Francis Paul, said age cheating is a serious offence in the youth competitions and those caught abetting it will face the law.

“Nock and the Government have resolved to take legal action against individuals who will be tempted to use unconventional methods to qualify for the youth games. Those caught cheating will be severely punished,” said Paul at a Nock consultative meeting in Nairobi yesterday.

Nock Deputy Treasurer, Stephen Arap Soi, while encouraging young athletes and their federations to stick by the truth in the qualifications that   end in May next year, explained that birth certificates and passports will be used to verify participants’ ages alongside other relevant methods.

“Kenya is such a respected nation and we are not ready to sort out the mess that may be caused by age cheating. It has always happened but we are not ready to shame ourselves on the continental and global arena in the forthcoming championships,” said Soi.

 

Rugby exempted

Nock officials confirmed to FeverPitch that its only Rugby 7s that is exempted from the qualifiers in the three international events as Kenya is among the top nations in the discipline in Africa.

“Kenya already has automatic qualification in Rugby 7s since the country is second placed behind South Africa in the game on the continent,” explained Paul.

The Second Youth Africa Games will be held on May 22-31, 2014 in Gaborone, Botswana and the country will be seeking to step up her medal tally above the inaugural edition in Rabat, Morocco in 2010.

Commonwealth Games

After Gaborone, Kenya will head for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland on July 21-August 5 next year. Kenya had an impressive record in the 2010 edition in New Delhi, India, finishing fifth with a total of 33 medals including 12 gold, 11 silver and ten bronze.

But the Second Youth Olympics to be staged in Nanjing, China, will just be around the corner after the Commonwealth Games, happening between August 16-28, 2014 and the country is hopeful of surpassing the three gold and three silver medal mark registered in the first edition held in Singapore in 2010.

Nock, which will soon announce a management committee for the games, requested sports federations to present their budgets, as per the quotas allocated for the games, in a fortnight to enable the body and the Sports Ministry to allocate funds for the qualifiers.