Nairobi: The French government has taken a significant step by training 12 coaches who will be responsible for training an additional 900 coaches in schools throughout Elgeyo Marakwet county. This initiative aims to ensure that athletes in the county are guided by professional coaches.
According to Kenya News Agency, the French ambassador to Kenya, Arnaud Suquet, emphasized the importance of gender equality, stating that the training of the coaches, which includes six male participants, is part of the effort to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Speaking in Iten, the ambassador highlighted the importance of having professionally trained coaches for both genders while ensuring male coaches do not exploit young female athletes. He asserted that GBV has no place in sports or society.
France's continued support for organizations fighting GBV within the sports community, such as the Tirop Angels run by athlete Joan Chelimo, was also affirmed. Chelimo expressed that training coaches is a crucial step in combating GBV and urged Athletics Kenya to certify all coaches to prevent unqualified individuals from exploiting female athletes.
Chelimo highlighted the issue of female athletes often being coached by their husbands, who sometimes exploit the situation for financial gain and, in cases of marital breakdown, take away the athletes' properties. She urged Athletics Kenya to educate athletes on the importance of having professional agents to manage their operations effectively.
Furthermore, Chelimo advocated for the construction of safe homes for athletes who face abuse, noting that currently, they seek refuge in her organization. She also called for more women to train as physiotherapists to support young female athletes, as male physiotherapists have been known to exploit their services due to athletes' financial constraints.
Her organization has successfully provided counselors for abuse survivors and advocates to pursue justice in court. However, Chelimo urged the Judiciary to expedite abuse cases, citing the ongoing unresolved case of Agnes Tirop's murder as an example of delayed justice.