Athletics Kenya moves weekend meet to Nyayo Stadium

The third leg of Athletics Kenya (AK) track and field will be held at the Nyayo National Stadium this weekend.

The event had been awarded to the AK Eastern region with the initial venue being the Embu Stadium before it was shifted to Kirubia Stadium in the neighbouring Tharaka Nithi County.

However after making a site visit at the Kirubia Stadium, AK senior vice president Paul Mutwii said the venue could not meet the standards to host the event hence the decision to move it to Nyayo.

“The stadium is good, yes, it has got a very good tartan but then we had a few concerns since it cannot accommodate field events and also the 110m hurdles. Our intention is to expose our athletes to the highest standards possible and that is why we have opted to move the meet to Nyayo,” Mutwii told Citizen Digital.

It will be the second time Nyayo Stadium will be hosting a weekend meeting this season, with the first leg having been held at the venue earlier this month. The second meeting was held in Moi Stadium, Kisumu just over a week ago.

With the two events having witnessed unprecedented high turnout, Mutwii said they expect the same to continue this weekend.

“We are very impressed with the way our athletes are now taking these events very seriously. We are particularly very encouraged with the sprinters who have continued to show up in numbers. This is very important since we want to diversify our medal prospects in major championships,” he said.

The fourth and final weekend meeting will be held in Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega on March 19 which will then set the stage for the national championships to be held on April 28-30

While many athletes might have set their sights on the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, Mutwii is optimistic Kenya will select a strong team for the Africa Senior Championships slated for Mauritius in June.

“From what we have seen so far from the weekend meetings we are confident we will get a very competitive team for the continental event,” Mutwii said.