Kenya’s Olympic HQ raided by police

NAIROBI // Kenyan police raided the country’s Olympic headquarters yesterday as part of an investigation into a corruption scam that embarrassed the nation’s athletes at the Rio Games.

Three leading Olympic officials were arrested in the investigation and the raid turned up dozens of boxes containing uniforms provided by sports goods manufacturer Nike that were supposed to be worn by athletes at the Rio opening ceremony, but were never distributed.

“The investigation is centred on the misappropriation of sports kits donated by Nike,” said a police source.

It is the custom at the opening ceremony or every Games for delegations from all the competing nations to march into the main Olympic stadium wearing their special uniforms.

At Rio, the Kenyan team wore a mix of outfits because some delegates did not receive the official uniform.

On Friday, Francis Paul, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock), his deputy James Chicha and Stephen Ara Sou, who headed the Kenyan delegation to Rio, were arrested.

The three were implicated in the uniform scam and faced allegations of mismanagement of Kenya’s Rio delegation.

The three officials were to be charged tomorrow for theft of official sports gear as well as mismanagement, a police source said. On August 18, the Kenyan government ordered an investigation into the charges, notably the alleged theft of sports uniforms but also the presence in the Kenyan delegation of officials who had no function related to the Games.

Kenya’s Olympic team captain, marathon runner and elected MP Wesley Korir, welcomed the Nock officials’ arrests. “Someone should pay the price,” he said, as he called on sports minister Hassan Wario to resign.

“If you are the head of an organisation and you don’t even know what is going on, my friend, you are supposed to go home.”