Kenya on Friday announced the phased resumption of all outdoor and non-contact sporting activities, six months after these were stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sports Minister Amina Mohamed gave the green light for non-contact sports such as athletics, cricket and golf. High contact sports such as football, boxing, judo, karate and water sports remain suspended.
“The guidelines we have released today are subject to be reviewed according to the global situation of Covid-19,” she said, adding that individual testing would not be mandatory.
However where required the cost of the tests should be borne by the relevant sport’s federation, organisation, or event organisers.
Kenya halted all sporting activities in March, alongside stringent measures curbing movement, the closure of schools and borders and the imposition of a nighttime curfew, in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.
Schools remain shut and the curfew in place, however the country has slowly been relaxing rules as official cases have dropped in recent weeks.
The first leg of the World Athletics Continent Tour meeting originally set for May 3 in Nairobi will now be held on October 3.
The one-day event is being held in Africa for the first time, and is expected to draw both local and international athletes.
Some of the major events that were cancelled in Kenya include the global under-20 athletics meeting and the Safari Rally which were both set to be held in July, but have been postponed to 2021.
