Kenya team to train Kurume City in May ahead of Tokyo Olympic Games

Nairobi, Nov 28: The first batch of Kenyan athletes will arrive in Kurume City for training in May, at least three months prior to the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Kenya has finally ended months of speculation on where they will pitch their training camp in Kurume City or Fukuoka, reports Xinhua news agency.

Speaking to reporters in Nairobi on Wednesday, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) head Paul Tergat confirmed Kurume City delegation had presented a better prospect for the team.

"We have settled on Kurume after our meeting," said Tergat. In 2012 Kenya pitched camp in Bristol city ahead of London Games while in 2016, they camped in Rio de Janeiro.

At least 50 Kenyan sportsmen have already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Games in a range of sports disciplines including two swimmers, 28 track and field athletes and the men's and women's rugby sevens teams.

Paul Tergat, the NOC-K president, said on Wednesday that Kenyan athletes will benefit from the Kurume City facility by using it to acclimatize ahead of the Games, which are expected to be staged under hot and humid conditions in Tokyo.

However, track and field athletes, who will delay their departure to Japan, will not be part of the Kurume City training camp.

"Save for athletics, we plan to have about 200 sportsmen and their officials in Kurume City for the period leading to the Olympics," said Tergat.