Tuwei hopeful Kip Keino Classic will be elevated to a DL event

Athletics Kenya (AK) president Jackson Tuwei is hopeful the bid to have Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour upgraded to a Diamond League status will sail through.

Speaking during the launch of the fifth edition of the one-day event slated for April 20 at Nyayo, Tuwei said the Tour has been improving with every edition and it is high time it was upgraded.

"We've applied to be considered for the promotion of this annual continental tour to a Diamond League. However, the organization of the Diamond League is slightly different from other events. The world class meet has its own committee and is restricted to only fourteen events in the world.

"We're still pursuing and we are optimistic that in the near future, this meet will be elevated," noted Tuwei.

Tuwei also feels Kenya’s big athletics profile places the country at a good place to host a DL meet.

"We're hosting this event for the fifth time consecutively. When we started to host we had the objective to elevate it to the next level. Our country has made an indelible mark in the World map of Athletics. We've a motivation to also host a set of other world class championships here in our country," added Tuwei.

Rabat is currently the only African city to stage the Diamond League track and field’s elite one-day series which features 14 host cities in four continents.