Night vigil at Talanta Plaza pays off for Beach Kabaddi team
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 19.09.24. | 10:53
A squad of 15, 13 players and 2 officials, is expected to make the trip
National Beach Kabaddi players are finally set to travel to Iran for the men’s Beach World Cup set to run from 20 September.
The team had camped overnight at the Ministry of Sport’s offices at Talanta Plaza as they sought to be facilitated for travel, at one point allegedly being threatened with arrest over the move as they occupied the reception area of Sports PS Peter Tum.
Team Kenya Kabaddi players are currently stuck at ministry of sports office of the PS. They were to fly tonight for a game in Iran. But this is the situation. Lets go and see them. pic.twitter.com/bnX2p4dgv9
— Morara Kebaso Snr (@MoraraKebasoSnr) September 18, 2024
Set to depart for Iran on Wednesday, 18 September, the standoff has since been resolved, with events manager Mudaspack Otieno confirming that the players fly out tonight.
“We have been facilitated for the trip finally,” he told Mozzart Sport. "Teams are set to arrive on 20 September, so nothing has been lost yet." It is alleged that the budget for the trip was approved two months ago.
This is not the first time that the Union has faced challenges despite being a powerhouse on the continent and a key competitor internationally.
After securing their victory in the Africa 2024 Championship on June 29, the senior men’s team called on the government to pump more resources into the sport.
Skipper James Kamweti argues that the side has the potential to put Kenya on the map in a discipline less talked about.
This year they won a bronze medal at the Bangabandhu Cup in Bangladesh.
“Last night the Ministry wanted to relocate us from their office to a hotel, but we needed this resolved, so we chose to stay. True to their word that this would be resolved, they were in early this morning, and the process to have us travel is on,” Kamweti, who is one of the key players expected to guide Kenya on their debut in the beach event, confirmed.
A squad of 15, 13 players, and 2 officials are set to make the trip.
As they make their debut, Kamweti says their preparations were below par as they did not have proper beach facilities to train.
“We had less-than-ideal conditions in our preparations, making the best of our situation by using the sand pits used for athletics jumps at Kasarani. That added to the divided attention that comes with the standoff with the Ministry leaves us in a tough place, but we will adjust,” he added.
Kenya will learn of their opponents after the technical meeting in Iran, with the skipper hoping for a good start.
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