NAIROBI, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is ready to host the best athletes at the IAAF World Under 18 Championships in Nairobi next month, athletics officials said on Wednesday.
Local Organising Committee CEO Mwangi Muthee, said preparation of the championships, which will be held from July 12-16, have been given a thumbs up sign by the World Athletics Governing body IAAF and they are ready to stage the biggest and best competition.
"We have fulfilled all the requirements that IAAF have set and we are now awaiting the arrival of the athletes. Security is confirmed, accommodation, transport and accreditation issues have all been cleared. We are set for the best championships ever," said Muthee in Nairobi.
Kenya is also hopeful it will parade the best team to be able to reclaim the overall title on the last round of the championships. This will be last edition of the World U18 Championships after the IAAF Council decided to discontinue the youth championships after this 2017 edition in Nairobi.
Speaking at the IAAF council meeting ahead of the Rio Olympics last year, IAAF President Sebastian Coe said:"We decided it's not the best pathway for those athletes at that stage of their career."
This is the second IAAF World Athletics Series competition to be held in Kenya after the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2007.
This is also the second time that the IAAF World Youth Championships will be hosted in Africa after Morocco hosted it in 2005.
Now Muthee wants the country to prepare the strongest team to compete in this historic event and leave a mark on its legacy is it makes it final stop since its inaugural championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1999.
Team Kenya held pre-trials at Kipchoge Keino Stadium on May 25-26 and a squad was shortlisted for the final trials in Nairobi on June 12-13. There will be more athletes coming from the primary and secondary school games, said Muthee.
In March, Kenya Sports Minister Hassan Wario announced a budget of over 70 million U.S. dollars to stage the championships starting from July 12-16.
Jack Tuwei, Athletics Kenya President, said they have made personal calls to over 150 countries and regions and sent invitation to all IAAF member associations to honour the championship and he is optimistic they will answer the call.
Six countries led by athletics powerhouse U.S., Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland have all confirmed they will give the event a bye citing security concern and preference for the Youth Commonwealth Games to be staged in Nassau, Bahamas almost a week after.
The deadline for confirmations has been set on June 12.
