The world's leading cross country runners face off on Friday in what is billed as the most significant curtain-raiser to this year's World Cross Country Championships.
And what's more, defending world men's long course champion Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea, former holder Kenenisa Bekele and Kenya's potential champion Eliud Kipchoge will meet at Saturday's Great Edinburgh Cross Country Championships on the same course that will host this year's global competition on March 30.
In the women's contest, the challenge will pit Ethiopia's Gelete Burka against Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot.
The meet is the fifth of the 11 permit meetings in the 2007/2008 IAAF series.
Tadese caused a major upset when he profited from Bekele's mid-race withdrawal at the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa last March to take the gold medal bringing an end to the Ethiopian's five-year reign as long course champion
But Bekele bounced back from his Mombasa disappointment to land his third successive world 10,000m crown in Osaka and has since been in intensive training.
The Eritrean is gradually developing as a genuine rival to the previously all-conquering Bekele.
He may have had to settle to fourth in the 10,000m to the Ethiopian in Osaka but he showed his all-round endurance ability by successfully defending his World Road Running title in Udine, Italy, last October.
Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Kenya:The League Body Releases New Transfer Guidelines
The Kenya Premier League (KPL) has announced tough rules for clubs in signing of new players.
KPL Managing Director Jack Oguda said every club must have a duly signed contract with each of its players.
"We require that there must be at least three copies of the contract and both parties must append their signatures on each copy. The player will keep one copy, the club another and KPL the third one," he said.
Oguda said the new rule is expected to protect players from being exploited by clubs.
"In the past we have had complaints regarding contracts with players complaining that they have either been forged or are not in line with what had been agreed between the two parties. We want to avoid similar situations in future," he said.
Oguda warned that a club that does not fulfill the requirement will not be issued with a player's card and hence denying them an opportunity to field the player.
He said KPL is working on new players' cards to be issued this season.
He also announced that the transfer window closes on January 31 after which no club will be allowed to sign a new player.
"The fixtures will be ready by this weekend and will be given to clubs to peruse during our meeting," he said.
The new season kicks off on February 23 but before that clubs will travel to Mombasa for a meeting with the world football governing body Fifa officials from January 28 to February 2.
Two top officials from each club have been invited to the meeting whose aim is to empower teams on the marketing aspect of the sport.
KPL has signed a lucrative Sh396million television rights deal with South African pay television channel SuperSport which commences this year. Each club will receive at least Sh3million per year to cater for their expenses and promises to make the league very competitive.
KPL Managing Director Jack Oguda said every club must have a duly signed contract with each of its players.
"We require that there must be at least three copies of the contract and both parties must append their signatures on each copy. The player will keep one copy, the club another and KPL the third one," he said.
Oguda said the new rule is expected to protect players from being exploited by clubs.
"In the past we have had complaints regarding contracts with players complaining that they have either been forged or are not in line with what had been agreed between the two parties. We want to avoid similar situations in future," he said.
Oguda warned that a club that does not fulfill the requirement will not be issued with a player's card and hence denying them an opportunity to field the player.
He said KPL is working on new players' cards to be issued this season.
He also announced that the transfer window closes on January 31 after which no club will be allowed to sign a new player.
"The fixtures will be ready by this weekend and will be given to clubs to peruse during our meeting," he said.
The new season kicks off on February 23 but before that clubs will travel to Mombasa for a meeting with the world football governing body Fifa officials from January 28 to February 2.
Two top officials from each club have been invited to the meeting whose aim is to empower teams on the marketing aspect of the sport.
KPL has signed a lucrative Sh396million television rights deal with South African pay television channel SuperSport which commences this year. Each club will receive at least Sh3million per year to cater for their expenses and promises to make the league very competitive.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Financial Constraints Works Against Kenyan Olympic Boxing Team
Bonnie Mugabe
Financial constraints in the national boxing governing body, Raba have delayed the national team's preparations ahead of the first qualifier of the Africa Olympic qualifiers scheduled to run from January 22-31 in Algiers, Algeria.
Raba technical director Gashugi Kananura, who also doubles as the national team trainer said yesterday that technically, he is prepared to start training but pointed out that financial constraints were delaying the preparations. "Technically we are prepared to make the selection for the Olympics but we don't have money to facilitate the training. We (Raba) are still waiting for RNOC's intervention," Gashugi said.
Gashugi noted that they (Raba) are still waiting for a response from the National Olympics Committee, which he said is expected before the end of this week and then starts residential training next week. Meanwhile, 19 boxers have been summoned to start residential training once the money for the preparations is got. Of the 19, eight would make the final team that heads to Algiers for the first qualifier and the second scheduled for March 23-April 2 in Windhoek, Namibia.
The international boxing governing body, AIBA has prepared qualifiers for each of its members- America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania, in which each continent will host two qualifiers.
With African continent entitled to take 60 boxers to this year's Olympic Games, Rwanda is focused at securing qualification from the two continental qualifying rounds. No Rwandan boxer has ever qualified for the Olympic Games but Gashugi is confident that could be achieved this time around for the Beijing Games slated for August 8- 24.
Financial constraints in the national boxing governing body, Raba have delayed the national team's preparations ahead of the first qualifier of the Africa Olympic qualifiers scheduled to run from January 22-31 in Algiers, Algeria.
Raba technical director Gashugi Kananura, who also doubles as the national team trainer said yesterday that technically, he is prepared to start training but pointed out that financial constraints were delaying the preparations. "Technically we are prepared to make the selection for the Olympics but we don't have money to facilitate the training. We (Raba) are still waiting for RNOC's intervention," Gashugi said.
Gashugi noted that they (Raba) are still waiting for a response from the National Olympics Committee, which he said is expected before the end of this week and then starts residential training next week. Meanwhile, 19 boxers have been summoned to start residential training once the money for the preparations is got. Of the 19, eight would make the final team that heads to Algiers for the first qualifier and the second scheduled for March 23-April 2 in Windhoek, Namibia.
The international boxing governing body, AIBA has prepared qualifiers for each of its members- America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania, in which each continent will host two qualifiers.
With African continent entitled to take 60 boxers to this year's Olympic Games, Rwanda is focused at securing qualification from the two continental qualifying rounds. No Rwandan boxer has ever qualified for the Olympic Games but Gashugi is confident that could be achieved this time around for the Beijing Games slated for August 8- 24.
Kenyan Athletes - Timbilil, Cheruiyot, Maintaining Solid Leads Abroad
Despite political temperatures hitting their peak here in Kenya consequently paralysing all the sports in the country, Kenyan runners were on the other hand basking in glory with wins in the international arena.
After several races were put off for security reasons, most notably the sixth round of the Kenya Commercial Bank-sponsored national cross country that was scheduled for this weekend in Nyahururu, Edwin Soi, Silvia Kibet and Moses Masai were flying the country's flag high in their specialities.
In Bolzano, Italy, Kenyan duo of Edwin Soi and Silvia Kibet added their names to the prestigious list of winners of the Bo classic Silvesterlauf road race in Bolzano that celebrated its 33rd edition this year.
Resilience
Both Soi and Kibet held off their young Ethiopian opponents in high-quality races. In the men's 10 km race, Soi had to content with 19-year-old Awash Fikadu Habtamu's resilience but managed to shake him off to settle for the runner-up spot.
The men's race started at a conservative pace in the first of eight laps. The rhythm was increased during the second lap when Moroccan Brahim Taleb went to the front clocking 7:29 after two laps closely followed by a large group that included Soi.
The race heated up in the eighth lap when Soi and Habtamu pushed the pace launching their kick for the ultimate prize.
Launched attack
The Kenyan and the Ethiopian engaged in a fierce neck-and-neck battle. During the last lap, Soi launched his attack showing the same sprint, which enabled him to score a double win in the 3, 000 and the 5, 000m at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart last September.
Soi crossed the finish line in the Waltherplatz in 28:50 to beat Habtamu who was left to watch as his opponent breasted the tape with a four seconds advantage.
Soi, who comes from Kericho and began running seven years ago, will be running at the Campaccio International Cross Country race on Saturday, where he will face Lebid again.
Kibet, who ran more cautiously in the first three laps leaving the initiative to her opponents, charged to the front and never looked back.
The Kenyan, fourth at the World Championships in Osaka and second at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart in the 5, 000m, launched her kick to cross the finish line in 16:01 beating Ethiopian, Emest Bedada to the second position by four seconds.
"The race started fast and my body responded well when I launched the final attack," Kibet was quoted saying in the IAAF website.
Solid performance
Further a field, their compatriot, Moses Masai was giving his opponents a run for their money, literally. Masai, a double African junior champion, never gave his opponents any hope of clinching the title as he led the pack from the onset.
Masai, fourth in the 10,000m world lists (26:49.20) in 2007, produced a solid performance over a difficult hilly course to take the race in 28:25. He outpaced his compatriot, Barnabas Kosgei by 18 seconds, with Portuguese Leão Carvalho taking the third podium position in 29:07.
After several races were put off for security reasons, most notably the sixth round of the Kenya Commercial Bank-sponsored national cross country that was scheduled for this weekend in Nyahururu, Edwin Soi, Silvia Kibet and Moses Masai were flying the country's flag high in their specialities.
In Bolzano, Italy, Kenyan duo of Edwin Soi and Silvia Kibet added their names to the prestigious list of winners of the Bo classic Silvesterlauf road race in Bolzano that celebrated its 33rd edition this year.
Resilience
Both Soi and Kibet held off their young Ethiopian opponents in high-quality races. In the men's 10 km race, Soi had to content with 19-year-old Awash Fikadu Habtamu's resilience but managed to shake him off to settle for the runner-up spot.
The men's race started at a conservative pace in the first of eight laps. The rhythm was increased during the second lap when Moroccan Brahim Taleb went to the front clocking 7:29 after two laps closely followed by a large group that included Soi.
The race heated up in the eighth lap when Soi and Habtamu pushed the pace launching their kick for the ultimate prize.
Launched attack
The Kenyan and the Ethiopian engaged in a fierce neck-and-neck battle. During the last lap, Soi launched his attack showing the same sprint, which enabled him to score a double win in the 3, 000 and the 5, 000m at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart last September.
Soi crossed the finish line in the Waltherplatz in 28:50 to beat Habtamu who was left to watch as his opponent breasted the tape with a four seconds advantage.
Soi, who comes from Kericho and began running seven years ago, will be running at the Campaccio International Cross Country race on Saturday, where he will face Lebid again.
Kibet, who ran more cautiously in the first three laps leaving the initiative to her opponents, charged to the front and never looked back.
The Kenyan, fourth at the World Championships in Osaka and second at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart in the 5, 000m, launched her kick to cross the finish line in 16:01 beating Ethiopian, Emest Bedada to the second position by four seconds.
"The race started fast and my body responded well when I launched the final attack," Kibet was quoted saying in the IAAF website.
Solid performance
Further a field, their compatriot, Moses Masai was giving his opponents a run for their money, literally. Masai, a double African junior champion, never gave his opponents any hope of clinching the title as he led the pack from the onset.
Masai, fourth in the 10,000m world lists (26:49.20) in 2007, produced a solid performance over a difficult hilly course to take the race in 28:25. He outpaced his compatriot, Barnabas Kosgei by 18 seconds, with Portuguese Leão Carvalho taking the third podium position in 29:07.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)