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The veteran Kenyan coach explained why he does not see any issue with athletes switching their allegiance as long as it serves them right.
Veteran coach Bernard Ouma has slammed claims from people noting that athletes are required to bribe some Athletics Kenya officials to be included in Team Kenya.
The false information spread when Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi won the 3000m steeplechase gold medal. Information spread like wildfire on social media but Ouma has rubbished those claims, noting that athletes switch allegiance when they want to.
He has no problem with runners looking for greener pastures as he singled out footballers like McDonald Mariga and Victor Wanyama who plied their trade for other football clubs with the latter still playing for CF Montreal.
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In an interview with Citizen TV, Ouma explained that athletes are majorly targeted but they have to fend for themselves and if the conditions in Kenya don’t serve them right, they are at liberty to find better.
“I’ll just say in simple terms that those are nonsense…in sports, we have sports and social mobility if people are studying very well. Social mobility is to help with the socioeconomic status of various individuals. You’ve seen coaches going outside to coach and there is always a window of transfer as well,” Ouma said.
“If you look at football, look at the normal, the way people are moving around the world, this is part of the economic advantages, the one's sportsmen and women will take advantage of where people are moving across for their well-being,” he added.
Ouma pointed out that even students leave the country to find a better education, which is not a problem. He added that if Kenya wants to retain athletes, the systems in place need to step up how they treat top athletes.
“I don’t know why athletics is being picked per se and there is nothing wrong with social mobility when you get a good chance outside. You’ve seen even educational mobility and footballers like Mariga changing their allegiance,” Ouma said.
“I don’t see anything wrong with that one and if not then, we need to have a system as well to have talents comfortable and pay them well. The social mobility will be internal.”
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