Foreign managers to scout in Kapchorwa

Feb 11, 2009

LEADING international athletics manager, Dutch Jurrie Van Der Velden will lead a host of scouts that will camp in Kapchorwa this weekend when Uganda picks a team for the world cross country championships.

By Norman Katende

LEADING international athletics manager, Dutch Jurrie Van Der Velden will lead a host of scouts that will camp in Kapchorwa this weekend when Uganda picks a team for the world cross country championships.

Velden and several other Scottish managers will scout for talent at the MTN National Cross Country Championship, that has attracted Uganda’s top runners, in Kapchorwa on Saturday.

“I very much want to have a look at the local competition. We can currently say that we are targeting at least three more athletes for our programme from the cross country,” said Velden. Velden works for Global Sports Communication that manages several world top runners including Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gerbreselassie.

They also handle Ugandans Benjamin Kiplagat, Doreen Chesang, and Stephen Kiproptich among others.

“We also expect some promoters from Scotland to come. So many are picking interest in Uganda,” said Standard Athletics Cup manager Godfrey Nuwagaba.

The athletics governing body is yet to decide whether James Kibet and Yuda Chesire will take part in the junior category. This is after the duo competed in the concluded Eastern Africa University Games. The minimum age for a university student is 20 years.

r Standard Chartered Bank have promised to enter a women’s team in next year’s Greatest Race on Earth relay marathon.

The Ugandan men’s team last weekend won $50,000 (sh99m). Team Uganda, of Amos Masai, Alex Cherop, Alex Malinga and Joseph Nsubuga will share out sh49.2m after finishing second in the 2008/9 series. The remaining 50% (sh49.2) will go to the national athletics development programme.

Standard Chartered Bank boss Lamin Manjang on Tuesday said that they were ready to sponsor the women team for the four-leg marathon. The athletes compete in Nairobi, Singapore, Mumbai and Hong Kong.

“We had wanted to sponsor the women team last year, but the federation said that they had no team then. The ball is back in their court since we are willing to sponsor the team this year,” said Manjang at a ceremony where they handed over the money to the federation.

“We have got the women to compete and we will take the opportunity,” the federation vice president Dominic Otuchet said in response.

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