Kenyan cooperates have been urged to take up athletes as their brand ambassadors and nurture their career at a tender age to ensure continuity of talent production in the country.
Speaking in Eldoret on Friday, Kenyan athletes led by 800m heroines Janeth Jepkosgei and Eunice Sum, Paris marathon champion Cyrpian Kotut and all time 3,000m steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi said thre is a need for athletes to get noticed by Kenyan cooperates.
Kenya, having many budding runners, expected to flag Kenyan flag high across the world, the athletes addressed the Barclays Bank officials in Eldoret that there is need for them to take athleteics career seriously.
Jepkosgei said it will be better if they can start nurtuing young talents at a tender age.
Jepkosgei, who runs Jeneth Jepkosgei training camp in Kapsabet, Nandi County that nurtures young athletes said it will be great if they take up athletes at a tender age.
“Young athletes have a good future and before they reach at the point where international companies can see their progress before taking up sponsorship is hard but Kenyan ones will be easy,” said Jepkosgei.
Jepkosgei said Kenyan runners are grappling with lack of Athletic Academies to tap talent unlike other countries where corporate have taken up the initiative to establish sports academies.
“Most companies in Japan have taken up the initiative especially Kenyan athletes who have become brand ambassadors and the same should replicate in Kenya,” added Jepkosgei.
Athletes addressing Barclays Bank officials in a meeting, the athletes passed the point of sponsorship that was received by the bank’s managing director Jeremy Awori who said they are committed to investing in athletics.
“We are not restricted to one sport and as a bank, we are passionate about the sports and talent nurturing. We are going to establish programmes on how to work with athletes. We want to make a difference in the community.