This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt lives, Athletics Kenya chairman Barnaba Korir is sounding the alarm for the youth and junior athletes who are most vulnerable to the crisis.
Published on April 23, 2020, Korir expressed his concern in an article, stating that the youth athletes are not just idle, but also at risk of being driven into social vices due to the lack of training and financial support.
As the chairman of the Youth Committee at Athletics Kenya, Korir knows firsthand the challenges faced by the junior athletes, who are struggling to make ends meet despite their growing professionalism.
"An idle mind is a devil's workshop," Korir warned, emphasizing the need for stakeholders to come up with solutions to protect the athletics future.
He urged the government and other stakeholders to consider the younger athletes first, as most senior athletes have invested and can sustain themselves for a while.
"We cannot start talking about random help for athletes when everyone knows that most senior athletes are OK and can cushion the younger ones if they want," Korir said.
He also emphasized the importance of inspirational talks through social media and the role of teachers in raising the hopes of the voiceless youths.
"We need to come up with ways and means of keeping the youth busy, engaging them on a number of projects," Korir said.
