This archive report was first published on 4 November 2019.
On November 4, 2019, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) announced the appointment of Athletics Kenya (AK) Executive Committee member Barnaba Korir as the General Manager for Team Kenya for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
According to Waithaka Kioni, Nock's second vice-president, Korir was chosen for the role due to his impressive performance as Chef de Mission for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
As part of the team, Korir will be assisted by two deputies: Winnie Kamau, a Kenya Swimming Federation (KSF) official, and Shoaib Vayani, the president of the Kenya Sports Shooting Federation (KSSF).
Additionally, Humphrey Kayange, a former Kenya Sevens star, has been appointed as a deputy, while Anthony Kariuki, Nock treasurer, will serve as the Games Finance Officer.
“Korir’s position will be vital considering that the core of the team will be from athletics and considering the hassle he went through (in Gold Coast), we thought it wise to have two deputies to assist me,” said Kioni during a press briefing at Nock headquarters.
As of November 4, 2019, 45 sportsmen and women have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, including 28 from athletics, the Kenya Lionesses rugby sevens team, and two swimmers courtesy of the universality rule by International Swimming Federation (Fina).
Kenya is aiming to field a team of 100 athletes in Tokyo, a significant increase from the 89 athletes who represented the country in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
