Deaf Athletics Association of Kenya (DAAK) has announced plans to stage this year’s National Deaf Track and Field Championships and Deaf Half Marathon in July, if the coronavirus pandemic will have been contained by then.
DAAK had planned to hold the Deaf Half Marathon – its seventh edition on April 26 in Nakuru, while the National Deaf Track and Field Championships was slated to take place at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on May 29 to 30.
DAAK’s plan to hold the two events in in July has been influenced by the announcement of new dates for the World Deaf Athletics Championships to be held in Radom, Poland. The global competition will now run from September 28 to October 3 having been earlier scheduled for July 18 to 25.
DAAK’s Public Relations Officer Tom Okiki said the exact dates for the national competitions will be announced based on the progress made locally in the curbing the spread of the pandemic.
“We welcome the new dates for the World Deaf Athletics Championships. We encourage them to train adequately indoors and adhere to the precautionary measures as well,” said Okiki.
Okiki urged athletes to carry on with personal training in readiness for the two local events which will serve as trials for the global championships.
DAAK intends to field athletes in 16 events in the fourth edition of World Deaf Athletics Championships. The events are 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10000m, 400m hurdles and 3000m steeplechase. Others include pole vault, shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, marathon, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay and 4×400 relay (mixed).
In the last edition edition held in Bulgaria in 2016, Kenya finished sixth with two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
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