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WORLD U18

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF LOC

- LT. GEN (RTD) JACKSON TUWEI
after topping the medals table at the last IAAF World
Championships in Beijing in 2015.
This will be the second World Athletics Series
event in Kenya after the successful IAAF World Cross
Country Championships in Mombasa 10 years ago in
2007. With Uganda having also successfully hosted
this year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships
KYEB
last March in Kampala, Africa remains grateful to
the IAAF for allowing our continent to host the
world’s athletics elite. Since the inaugural event
in 1999 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, the IAAF World U18
Championships have nurtured great talents, with
stars such as Usain Bolt, David Rudisha, Kirani James,
Valerie Adams, Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon, Meseret
Defar, Kenenisa Bekele, Allyson Felix and many
others being discovered at these championships..
We are confi dent that many more stars will be born
at these Championships in Nairobi from July 12 to 16
and go on to dominate global athletics in the years
to come. Athletics Kenya continues to improve in
global competitions, with six gold medals earned at
KENYA YEARBO0K
last year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro where
the fi nal medal tally of 13 - six gold, six silver and
one bronze – marked our nation’s most successful
outing in our Olympics history. at all the Olympic
medallists were from track and fi eld is enough tes-
EDITORIAL BOARD
timony that athletics remains the most successful
sport in Kenya.
I would like, in a most special way, to thank the
Government of Kenya, through His Excellency
President Uhuru Kenyatta, and our Patron the First
t gives me great pleasure on behalf of Athletics Lady, Her Excellency Margaret Kenyatta, who sup-
Kenya and the Local Organising Committee of ported our bid to host these championships. ey
Ithe IAAF World U18 Championships 2017 to wel- subsequently availed us of all the resources needed
come you to Nairobi. I would like, from the outset, to renovate the competition and training venues in
to thank the International Association of Athletics Nairobi, along with upgrading the necessary infra-
Federations (IAAF) and its President, Lord Sebastian structure and enhancing security to allow for suc-
Coe, for granting Nairobi the honour of hosting the cessful Championships.
10th and fi nal edition of these under-18 champi- I would also like to thank all the stakeholders,
onships. ere couldn’t have been a better choice sponsors, partners, volunteers and Kenyans in
with Kenya currently at the apex of global athletics general for supporting these Championships. e

12 | ACTIVITIES AND OCCURENCES DURING WORLD U18 CHAMPIONSHIPS