Moses Tanui, the race director for the Eldoret City Marathon, and Athletics Kenya (AK) officials have urged athletes and stakeholders to avoid politicizing the delay in prize money distribution. Speaking during the awards ceremony for the fifth edition of the Eldoret City Marathon in Eldoret town, Tanui asked athletes to be patient, explaining that the delay was due to technical issues.
He emphasized that Athletics Kenya ensures that races are conducted with the necessary funds and cautioned against politicizing the situation, as it could negatively impact the event’s global reputation.
“Next year the Eldoret city marathon will be a big race, this marathon must outlive us as seen in other races that have lasted for hundreds of years,” said Tanui.
Barnabas Korir, the youth development chairman at AK called on athletes to desist from politicizing athletics issues.
“Stay away from politicizing issues when it comes to running, some volunteered to organise and get sponsors for the race to go on, if you are taking time disparaging the organisers know that you are not destroying them but you are chasing away the sponsors,” said Korir.
Korir stated that efforts will be made to ensure the success of major races, including the Eldoret City Marathon, Standard Chartered Marathon, Nairobi City Marathon, and other road races, to foster a robust sports industry for athletes’ well-being.
He assured that the Ministry of Sports, through Talenta Hela, is covering the entire prize money, and athletes will receive their payments by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Athletics Kenya Vice President Paul Mutwi criticized unnamed individuals who are attempting to undermine the progress and efforts to promote athletics in the country.
