Gidabuday Sports Tourism Foundation (GSTF)

Uhuru Kenyatta / President of Kenya Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to ensure the country makes the necessary changes to its anti-doping system ahead of an extended deadline of 2 May to avoid providing an “excuse” for them to be suspended from this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Kenya missed an initial deadline of 5 April to introduce a new Bill into Parliament, something that was not passed in time due partly to a Parliamentary recess. A fresh time limit was imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following discussion on Kenya during an Independent Compliance Review Committee meeting in Montreal. If improvements are not made by then, a recommendation of non-compliance will be made ahead of a WADA Foundation Board meeting on 12 May. “By next week latest, the Anti-Doping Bill will have been passed by Parliament and I will have signed it into law – so that there will be no excuse to deny our team from participatio...

Isaac Kamande Mwangi The IAAF’s Ethics Committee has rejected former Athletics Kenya (AK) chief executive Isaac Kamande Mwangi’s appeal against his provisional six-month ban for violating anti-doping controls. The punishment was handed out by the International Association of Athletics Federations, the sport’s governing body, in February after Mwangi was accused of seeking bribes to reduce the doping bans of two athletes. His provisional suspension came after former AK president Isaiah Kiplagat, ex-deputy David Okeyo and former treasurer Joseph Kinyua were banned by the Ethics Committee on charges of mis-using funds from a sponsorship by U.S. sports manufacturer Nike. All the officials deny any wrong-doing. Joy Sakari and Francisca Koki Manunga said Mwangi asked each of them for $24,000 to reduce four-year bans. Sharad Rao, Kenya’s barrister appointed by the IAAF , said on Friday that he would complete his probe into the affair by mid-May. ...

Australia's athletes have revealed "retro candy stripe" uniforms for this year's opening ceremony at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games An outfit of mint green and white striped blazers, yellow ties and white bottoms were unveiled at a Sydney launch, 127 days out from the ceremony at the Maracana Stadium. Team Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said the Olympic uniform, and particularly the iconic blazer, was "an integral part of being an Olympian". "Our athletes have trained for years, for decades ... to earn the right to have that blazer and it's a blazer that they will keep, they'll treasure and they'll wear for the rest of their lives," she said. Source: Abc News Australia

Emmanuel Giniki Gisamoda in China Recently Emmanuel Giniki stands tall among the excelling local runners who have weathered the storm to stay at the helm of Tanzania's athletic platform. Born in 1988 in a poor family based in Hanang, Katesh, Manyara, Giniki's running talent can be traced back since his childhood at the Jorodom Primary School. "I am coming from a poor family where we sometimes went without food. That was our daily life. This is what encouraged me to train hard and I am determined to use athletics to bring my family out of poverty," he said during an exclusive interview with The Citizen. After completing primary school education in 2007, Gikini joined Ganana Secondary School in Hanang where his running talent was revealed. "I used to compete and win many championships to the extent that teachers and most of my friends suggested that I better drop lessons to concentrate on athletics," he said. A few years later, h...

Brazil is spiraling dramatically into chaos even as the Olympics are fast approaching in August An increasingly uncertain political backdrop is sparking widespread, and sometimes violent, protests.  The country is in the midst of its worst recession in 25 years. A massive corruption scandal involving its biggest company has engulfed numerous executives and politicians. Add to that the deadly Zika virus , and you have a country in crisis mode.  Concerns are rising over whether Brazil will be adequately prepared for this seminal global event. The International Olympic Committee told CNNMoney Friday that it is "very closely" watching the political events unfolding.

Mathew Centrowitz Out-Runs Kenyans and Ethiopians PORTLAND - In a championship that has been nearly perfect for the Americans, local hero Matthew Centrowitz has added the icing on top of the cake. And it’s golden icing, at that. Centro is the World Indoor 1500m champion, an exclamation point on a perfect season. The 26-year-old is the first American to capture gold in this event, and the first U.S. medalist period since 1995.  With a grit in his teeth, the former Oregon NCAA champ crossed first out in lane two in 3:44.22, pumping his fist all the while. The crowd went absolutely nuts. Now the American owns a medal of every color, with this one joining his 2013 World Outdoor silver and the 2011 bronze from Daegu. A boisterous home crowd urged him along as he successfully hunted down Nick Willis in a maddening finish, a scene that put Centrowitz at ease as he had beaten the New Zealander each of the last two years in close Wanamaker mile finishes. “Luckily Nic...

Athlete of the Year - Sydney Gidabuday (3) NEW ORLEANS (March 8, 2016) – An incredible freshman season has led Sydney Gidabuday to be recognized as the Men's Track Athlete of the Year for the South Central Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). His indoor season has been highlighted by holding the NCAA Division II top time in the 3000m run and 5000m run along with holding the third fastest mark in the mile. He also played a vital role for a distance medley relay (DMR) unit that currently ranks third in the country. Most recently, Gidabuday is coming off a title in the 3000m run at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championship on February, 27 th . With his finish, he set a new facility record at the Nelson Physical Activity Center in Chadron, Nebraska. He has also claimed titles this season in the mile at the UW Open and 3000m at both the Grizzly Buffalo Clash and Air Force Holiday Open. His top mark of 13:44.31 in ...