Government sets up sports medical consortium to help fight Covid-19

President Uhuru Kenyatta (right) with Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed at the close of the Magical Kenya Open golf championship at the Karen Country Club on March 21, 2021. The government has formed a sports medical consortium to help in the fight against Covid-19 in Sport

Photo credit: Pool Ministry of Sports

What you need to know:

  • Strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols will be implemented this week when Naivasha hosts a “closed door” Equator Rally on Saturday and Sunday.
  • A “bubble” has been created around the rally’s Service Park at the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute and official hotels with all officials and support staff having received their first dose of the vaccine.

The government has stepped up precautions against the spread of Covid-19 in sport by assembling a medical consortium that will formulate a bubble training and containment method and also draw up team travel and event preparation protocols.

A statement released by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage on Monday further said the Ministerial Sports Medical Consortium will be championed by medical directors from organising committees of various competitions.

These events include the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, WRC Safari Rally and the World Under-20 Championships among other competitions that Kenya will be involved in.

“In addition, we have commenced our inaugural bubble training camps at the Moi International Sports Centre, and Kenyatta University,” Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said in the statement.

“We must pool all the resources available to create safe and sustainable bubble training camps to guarantee full participation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the other upcoming international events.”

Some of the leading medics involved in upcoming global competitions and who are expected to play leading roles in the consortium include Raj Jutley (WRC Safari Rally), Carol Akoth (Olympic and Paralympic Games) and Jared Nyakiba (World Under-20 Championships).

They will team up with other medics assigned various local and international competitions to chart the way forward.

“The consortium will meet and share experiences in their disciplines towards a joint proposal to be adopted by the ministry to guide all activities,” the CS explained.

CS Amina spoke as her ministry concluded a vaccination drive against Covid-19 that targeted athletes, sports officials and support personnel in which 4,455 vaccines were administered.

“I wish to sincerely thank my colleagues Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary for Health and General Mohammed Badi, Director General, Nairobi Metropolitan Services and the County Governments of Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet for facilitating this exercise which will pave way for our teams to safely compete in international events with the full protection of the vaccine,” the minister said on Monday.

“I urge you all to continue observing all the protocols laid out by the Ministry of Health.”

Strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols will be implemented this week when Naivasha hosts a “closed door” Equator Rally on Saturday and Sunday.

A “bubble” has been created around the rally’s Service Park at the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute and official hotels with all officials and support staff having received their first dose of the vaccine.

They will also be required to return negative PCR results for Covid-19 tests before gaining access to the rally’s operations.

The Equator Rally is an important fixture of the Africa Rally Championship and will run as a test event for the June 24-17 WRC Safari Rally.