Beijing 2015 World Championships men 1500m silver medallist, Elijah Manangoi, trying to address issues with his ticket to Rio. PHOTO/Chari...
Travel plans of the third batch of Team Kenya to the Rio 2016 Olympics were thrown into disarray on Sunday morning when athletes initially boycotted to board their flight in protest over the missing ticket of world Javelin champion, Julius Yego, to Brazil.
Yego, who has been vocal against the treatment of the athletes, was stunned when he arrived at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport only to find he had no ticket.
National Olympics Committee of Kenya (Nock) officials could not produce it leading to the protests that saw the team holed up at the airport for a couple of hours before they later boarded the flight to Angola.
“First, the Team Manager who travelled ahead of the team has been deported. How did he travel ahead of the team? Now we have athletes stranded at the airport. Is this the best way to motivate athletes?” Professional Athletes Association of Kenya Nairobi secretary, Julius Ndegwa told Citizen Digital on phone.
The shocking development is the latest gaffe by Nock officials after Yego complained bitterly about his coach being omitted from Sunday’s travel programme.
Fellow world champions, Asbel Kiprop and Hyvin Kiyeng, Beijing 2015 silver medallists Faith Chepng’etich and Caleb Mwangangi as well as 2008 Beijing Olympics champion, Brimin Kipruto decided to make their own travel arrangements.
