Kenyan long distance legend and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, Kipchoge Keino, has disclosed that rugby stands good chance of being added to the 2016 Olympics roster. Speaking at a function where the country's President, Mwai Kibaki, led his government in hosting the nation's rugby sevens team, Keino said the game was a strong contender of being accorded Olympic status for the 2016 Games.
"As an IOC Council member, it is not appropriate for me to campaign for the addition of any sport with seven disciplines competing for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics but rugby has a good case," said Keino, who won Olympic gold at 1968 (1,500m) and 1972 (3,000m steeplechase) Games.
Baseball and softball that were dropped from the Olympics program in 2005, karate, squash, golf, roller sports are competing with rugby union to be included in among the 26 sports that will be competed.
The fate of the applicants will be known at the October 9 IOC Congress in Denmark where the host city for the 2016 Games will be unveiled.
Kenya sevens team captain, Humphrey Kayange, who missed Monday's fete has travelled to Switzerland as part of a team lobbying for inclusion of rugby as an Olympics sport.
At the luncheon where the sevens side received about 32,000 U.S. dollars in reward from the country's Tourism Board, President Kibaki hailed the team's sterling performance.
He noted that finishing third at the Rugby Sevens World Cup and sixth at International Rugby Board (IRB) sevens series standings in the just concluded season was indication that it was among the best worldwide.
"We applaud your commitment and dedication and wish to ask you to continue with the same," the Head of State said.
Tourism Minister, Najib Balala, who presented the cash token to the side, took cue and asked other sports to emulate the sevens side as models of prudent management.
"Sports federations should not be run like political parties, they should aim at transparent, professional and business oriented," Balala said.
Meanwhile, international teams will begin arriving for the annual Tusker Safari Sevens tournament from Tuesday.
Among those expected are Japan, Les Bleus from France, Samoa, Zimbabwe, Samurai, South Africa's Emerging Boks, Grenoble and Bristol University both from England.