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By Timothy Olobulu

Athletics Kenya chair Isaiah Kiplagat

Athletics Kenya Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat has disclosed Kenya’s aim at bidding for host either in the 2019 or the 2012 World Junior Athletics Championships.

Kiplagat said that he would present the government with a proposal for approval before making the formal bid with the IAAF.

The world governing athletics body has already awarded the hosting rights to countrys until 2017 meaning bids from the other years that follow are up for grabs. The Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) council meeting hosted in Nairobi last year recommended Kenya to bid for a world championship.

"We have the capacity if given the necessary support by the government after successfully hosting the Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Nairobi last year and the World Cross Country event  in Mombasa in 2007," said Kiplagat

The AK Chair has also challenged the government to invest in hotels and security that would be key in securing the bid to host one of the key events in IAAF track and field calender bringing together over 5000 athletes and officials.

“We will table our bid to host the world event, our only problem is the accommodation issue as the current five star hotels can only accommodate 800 guests in the event expected to bring together 5000
people from all over the world who include athletes and officials," he said

"The rest of the hotels which are below five star cannot be certified by the IAAF due to their location or because of security concerns. The government must come in and help us we start the long journey”, added Kiplagat.

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