Rwandan athletes to battle at Kololo

Ugandan athletes will be tested by their Rwandan counterparts, who have been granted permission to compete at the National Cross Country Championships this month in Kampala.

The event is slated for January 14 at Kololo Independence Grounds.

National athletics federation president Domenic Otuchet confirmed that his Rwandan counterpart   Jean Paul Munyandamutsa had earlier contacted him on having the Rwandan national athletes come and compete with the Ugandan runners.

The request was tabled at the federation meeting and it was approved.

"They are coming as guest runners to the event. They are not only having a senior men's team but they will also have a mixed relay team," said Otuchet.

"They confirmed that they will also be sending athletes in other events though details of the names will be sent later."

The national event, which is also set to be the  test event for the IAAF World Cross Country championships, is expected to be one of the most competitive cross country events in Uganda, with a number of athletes  having trained for over two months for it.

The athletes will be battling for the limited slots available for the national team to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships due on March 26 at the same venue.

Former World and Olympic Champion Stephen Kiprotich is among the top names that have already shown interest in the event, as they battle for the national team slots.