​Kenya disbands national Olympic committee

Kenya has disbanded its national Olympic committee amid investigations into alleged mismanagement of the country's team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Kenya's sports minister, Hassan Wario, said Thursday that problems faced by the team in Rio damaged the morale of athletes.

"There was alleged mismanagement of the facilitation of our athletes and the entire team Kenya ranging from accommodation and travel mishaps, mishandling of the accreditation of the list of participants to the provision of kits that never reached the athletes," Wario told a news conference.

"I do hereby disband the National Olympic Committee [NOCK] with immediate effect and transfer their responsibilities to the Sports Kenya as the interim custodian."

Problems also included a new doping scandal, ineligible athletes and bad blood between the track and field federation and the national Olympic committee.
 
Before the Games, Kenya team captain Wesley Korir berated local Olympic committee officials, saying they needed better management, payment of pending allowances and an immediate end to alleged harassment of athletes by anti-doping officials.

Despite the problems, Kenya enjoyed its most successful Olympics in Rio, winning six gold medals, six silvers and one bronze, all in track and field.   

Wario launched an eight-member probe committee, which includes retired athletes Moses Kiptanui and Elizabeth Olaba, to investigate what happened in the organization and planning for Kenya's Olympic team. The committee has to Sept. 30 to report back to the minister, with any recommendations for action. The Directorate of Criminal Investigation has also been asked to begin a probe.

NOCK secretary general Francis K. Paul said Wario did not have the powers to make such a decision, adding they would inform the International Olympic Committee and go to court to fight the move.

"We have not given our report and, from it, maybe you may find other things and you may find we were not in the wrong because we will give an account of all uniforms that we received, and all the uniforms that were distributed, and to whom," Paul said.

"We did what we were supposed to do, and you should ask the right people for answers. We did our job very well. We will not move from our offices, we do not occupy a government building, and we pay our rent. We are going nowhere."

The NOCK is also accused of mismanaging accommodation for the team, taking a huge number of joy riders to the games, and selling off kit from Nike. Paul dismissed those allegations, and instead blamed the ministry of sports.