An Iten-based athlete’s coach, Elkanah Ruto has called on parents to financially support young athletes, especially females, while in training to cushion them from exploitation by fellow athletes, coaches and other men.
Coach Ruto said many upcoming athletes come from humble backgrounds hence have challenges meeting the cost of daily expenses. The coach noted that to survive during training, some end up relying on some exploitative men, commonly referred to as ‘sponsors’, to meet their day-to-day financial needs.
Speaking during a seminar for athlete’s managers and coaches in Iten, the coach said for athletes who may not have financially capable parents to support them during training, it is advisable to have a formal contract entered between the coach and the athlete, detailing how the coach will be paid monies he might spend on an athlete during training.
Coach Ruto added that most female athletes enter into relationships when they are young, sometimes for financial support, and once they mature and want to leave the relationship, the men feel cheated, sometimes resulting to violence.
He however said that GBV was not just about women adding that some men also undergo violence but due to culture, are not free to share. He called for further sensitization in a bid to end the vice.
Collins Kipkirui, a programme assistant at the Centre for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance (CEDGG) who had organised the seminar expressed concern that some coaches exploit their power to select a race for the athletes to participate in, making it look like a favour and in the process abuse the athletes.
“A coach decides whether an athlete is ready to participate in a race and also which race to participate in, thus some athletes who need money to survive and also assist their families are forced into relationships with coaches in exchange for favour to be allowed to participate in races as early as possible,” he said.
Philemon Kittony the GBV county coordinator said intimate partner and physical violence were among the most common GBV cases being reported in the county.
By Alice Wanjiru
