Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-02-14 16:39:26
The Team Kenya camp was in a state of disappointment after Olympian Faith Ogallo was unable to compete at the 2024 African Taekwondo Olympic qualifiers in Senegal. Out of the squad of nine players, she was one of five reduced to spectators at the qualifiers held from February 9-11 in Dakar.
Ogallo, who had previously won a silver medal at the 2019 African Games, traveled to Dakar on February 8 along with three other players. However, she was unable to compete in the qualifiers due to not attending the weighing-in.
Upon her return from Dakar, Ogallo expressed her disappointment at the entire experience. “I just want to forget everything and move on. I have fought hard to represent Kenya, but unfortunately, all my efforts have not paid off,” she told Nation Sport. “My Olympic dream was crushed, just like that. I am trying to heal slowly. Working for four years and then it ended up like that is very heart-breaking,” she added.
A letter of appeal regarding Ogallo’s situation from Kenya Taekwondo Federation (KTF) Secretary General George Wasonga to the World Taekwondo Federation president revealed that registration fees had to be paid in US Dollars, which the Kenyan contingent lacked as the Ministry of Sports had sent funds through the bank account of the leaders of the delegation. The attempt by Kenyan officials to pay for the registration in the local currency was declined at the registration, and they had to travel to the airport to obtain the required dollars.
Once they managed to obtain accreditation cards, they were told the weighing officials were on a break. To their surprise, draws had already been done without the knowledge of the team leaders. Ogallo’s name in the heavyweight division was missing, and their appeal to have her included in the draw was unsuccessful.
Wasonga emphasized Ogallo’s high ranking in the weight division and called for the World Taekwondo Federation president to intervene in the matter. He expressed concern that the incident would do irreparable damage to Ogallo’s taekwondo career.
In addition to Ogallo, other Kenyan players who were locked out due to late arrival were able-bodied athlete Innocent Wafula, as well as para-athletes Patrick Lolkalipai, Peter Kabani, and Joseph Owino. On a positive note, para-athletes Stency Neema and Julieta Lemuge were able to qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Games from the Dakar outing in their respective categories, as they were the only two competitors in their classes.
Neema and Lemuge qualified as gold medal winners of their categories, making them the only qualified athletes for the 2024 Paralympics from Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the disappointment in Dakar, the successes of Neema and Lemuge provide a glimmer of hope for the Kenyan taekwondo community.
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