This archive report was first published on 24 August 2021.
On August 17, 2021, the World Athletics Under 20 Championships kicked off at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, with a team of police officers, General Service Unit (GSU), and Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) ensuring a smooth event.
Despite concerns over security and a surge in coronavirus cases, the Kenyan government had put in place adequate security arrangements before and during the event.
Competitors, organisers, journalists, technical officials, and volunteers were tested daily for Covid-19, with restricted passes to prevent movement around the stadium.
According to Kiprono Bunei, the events security director and National Police Athletics chairman, the country held an incident-free event thanks to the combined efforts of police officers, GSU, and RDU.
"The event started well and ended well, the security arrangement was so successful. No single incident was reported during the event by both guests and Kenyans who attended the championships," Security Chief Bunei said.
Notably, 18 countries won gold medals, with Israel and Namibia registering their first world Under-20 champions victory in the men's high jump and women's 200m events, respectively.
Over 5000 LAMP tests and 4000 PCR tests were conducted to ensure the health and safety of the participants.
