NAIROBI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Continental Cup 800m champion Emmanuel Korir has been named among the eight Kenyan athletes who will receive funding from International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The eight athletes will get a total of 1.1 million shillings (about 10,800 U.S. dollars) towards training and taking part in the qualification tournaments anywhere in the world.
Francis Mutuku, secretary general of National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) confirmed that each athlete will take 750 dollars monthly starting in January to August 2020 when the Tokyo Olympics will be held. The funding is part of the IOC's Olympic Solidarity movement.
"The Olympic Solidarity in liaison with the respective international federations assessed each individual applicant and awarded those who have the best chances of participating the forthcoming Olympics," said Mutuku.
Those selected from Kenya are Mercy Mwethya Joseph (badminton), Carlos Ochieng Atieno (judo), Webster Ndoli Lukose (weightlifting), Gulraaj Singh Sehmi (shooting), Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir (athletics), Brian Nunda Mutua (table tennis), Mathayo Matonya Mahabila (wrestling), and Danilo Rosafio (swimming).
The scholarship is aimed at helping the athletes with the best opportunity to prepare and qualify for the Olympics.
"The aim of Olympic Solidarity is to organize assistance for all the National Olympic Committees, particularly those with the greatest needs, through a variety of world and continental program prioritizing athlete development, training of coaches and sports administrators, and promoting the Olympic values," said Mutuku.
The Olympic Solidarity will also factor in the refugee team building on the experience of the Olympic Games from Rio 2016, where a Refugee Olympic Team competed for the first time.
The IOC has decided to create a dedicated program that would support a small number of refugee athletes in their preparation and participation in international competitions.
In Rio, 20 teams were supported through the Team Support Grant program and won 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, as well as six Olympic diplomas.
The selected athletes will have a further fund available for them to participate in the final qualification competitions once they prove successful in their preparations.
"NOCK is excited about this program as it provides in the short term the best chance of Kenya sending additional disciplines to the Olympics," said Mutuku.
