Former Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars goalkeeping coach Mathews Ottamax has lamented over the recent sports ban, urging President Kenyatta to reconsider the decision.
Ottamax said, “It’s very unfortunate, nothing to smile about, apart from my football coaching role, I have a part time job at an entertainment club, all these have been suspended indefinitely. I have bills to pay, many mouths to feed and my only qualifications are zoned on the above two.”
“We fully acknowledge the existence of the virus but sending us home empty is not a good idea. As much as we are trying to flatten the curve, let’s not cause depression to athletes, we can do better than this, we can still have sports but under strict guidelines, this is enough,” he further lamented.
Athletes preparing for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are likely to be affected by the suspension of sporting activities in the country.
However, Kenya’s men and women rugby sevens teams, are in Dubai at the moment preparing to participate in the Emirates Invitational 7s set to take place in April and serve as a warm-up event for teams competing at Tokyo 2020.
Earlier this year, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya mentioned its plans to hold training camps in Kenya during April. It hopes to send a record 100 athletes to the Games.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to take place between July 23 and August 8 and the Paralympics to follow between August 24 and September 5.
Whether the government will issue exemptions for athletes preparing for the Game remains unclear at the moment.
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