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WORLD U18

Foreword

Introduction

HE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) assumed New impetus
focus on the championships after Ministry of
TSports, Culture and the Arts (MOSCA) Kenya On my assumption of CEO role, I highlighted as
Gazette Notice Number 5557 of 22nd July, 2016 top priority, developing the competition, warm up
and training venues and the Athletes Village. The
KYEB
Government was most supportive. It availed the
rown into “deep end”
services of a team of (referred to as ‘Group 4’) of ar-
chitects, engineers (civil, water and landscaping) and
Magnitude of the responsibility was obvious. It was a
quantity surveyors from the ministry of Transport,
“blind date” for the CEO, albeit experience of man-
infrastructure, housing and urban development. is
aging large international sports events having been
is the group that put ideas of readying the venues
gained at heading, for several previous years, the
into perspective and directed the LOC focus in the
Safaricom Sevens international rugby tournament
planning.
in Nairobi while serving as chairman of the Kenya
I must say that the prospects that the huge
Rugby Union (KRU). With some members of the IAAF
hurdle of preparing the championships venue (Moi
WU18 Championships, Nairobi 2017 Local Organizing
International Sports Centre, Kasarani) and the
Committee [LOC] and secretariat staff we sought an
immediate source of skills and good practice by at-
mounted, was a morale boost to an LOC that had
tending the IAAF World Under-20 Championships
been in place for over a year and was suspect to de-
in Bydgoszcz, Poland between July 19th to July 25th
jection. But now energies arrived and the directorates
2016. Athletes Village (Kenyatta University) would be sur-
KENYA YEARBO0K
charged with various LOC roles, seeing light at the
end of the tunnel, embarked on planning execution.
First phase of LOC work
I would like to pay glowing tribute to the Directors
and Assistant Directors for their dedication (LOC
e IAAF WU18 Championships’ LOC, chaired by
EDITORIAL BOARD
Directorates indicated in the appendix).
Athletics Kenya President Lt-Gen Jackson Tuwei
but under a diff erent CEO (Mr Isaac Mwangi), had
Secretariat
been in existence since May 22, 2015. As many as 11
preparation meetings had been held at least between
June 2015 and February 2016. From scratch, Ms Charlotte Kurgoy had the secre-
e LOC had engaged well in the planning for the tariat offi ce functioning, creating a focal point for
practical organisation of the event in accordance the LOC directorates. She brought the only working
with the Event Organisation Agreement (EOA) with knowledge of Athletics Kenya (AK) to Organisation
the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Member (OM) of the IAAF, the Event Owners (OA).
Federations) regulations. But as incoming CEO, I Ms Regina Gachora then came in as the Chief
found that the Host Institution (Government of Kenya Operations Offi cer, bringing in very useful knowl-
through the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts edge of big-event workings having been involved in
– MOSCA – had not yet addressed the critical issue of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. With just a
huge and costly work of readying the competition, few weeks to the Championships, the International
warm up and training venues and also the accom- Management Group (IMG) most effi ciently helped to
modation of athletes, Athletes Village. is clearly co-ordinate the event’s activities.
involved more money than the budget the LOC had Excellent back-up for the Secretariat was pro-
suggested to Government. vided by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts

18 | ACTIVITIES AND OCCURENCES DURING WORLD U18 CHAMPIONSHIPS