WU20: Smooth start to 3rd global athletics jamboree ever hosted in Kenya

The World Athletics U20 Championships gunned off on Wednesday 18th August 2021 morning to a smooth start at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani albeit under strict adherence to the Covid-19 protocols.

The championship marks just the 3rd time in Kenya's history that a sporting event of global magnitude is hosted in the country closely following the 2018 World Under-18 Championships at the same venue and the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa.

Local Organizing Committee (LOC) raced with speed to sort out an ugly accreditation mayhem that had left hundreds of journalists, staff, security and other service providers with disillusionment just 24 hour earlier.

By the time World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe presided over pre championship rituals of briefing the press a very good number of journalists were either still sweating for their entry passes or just receiving theirs after five days of fruitless and rather confused quest at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.

The hawk-eyed security men laid strong human walls in all the gates and on the periphery of the facility to protect the more than one thousand athletes drawn from more than one hundred countries participating in the four-day championships.

Inside the venue, uniformed and non uniformed security men kept a close watch on the athletes, officials, press and other service providers whose expertise was procured to facilitate free flow of activities.

Even before action began, everyone was subjected to mandatory coronavirus test to weed out any positive case with lines being witnessed at the hand washing booths. .

For one to access the 60 000-seater stadium, security checks at the entry points which are manned by personnel drawn from the National Youth Service are compulsory with those who had not been cleared by the medics being turned away. 

The 2017 World Athletics U18 championships held at the same venue undoubtedly set a high precedence as far as fan attendance, atmosphere and medal catch are concerned. 

However, inside the facility, a stark contrast presented itself in regards to attendance and atmosphere as there are no fans allowed to back the home team thanks to the guidelines dished by the government as a way of curbing the spread of the virus. 

With Kenya being the defending champion and the first African country to host the junior championships, hopes were stashed on the 4x400m mixed relay team to open the medals hunt on a positive note.

However, the four who braved the unpleasantly cold weather were disqualified for line infringement but two out of the four consoled themselves after qualifying to the 400m final.