Twelve named for Kl’a race

The national athletics body(RAF) has named twelve athletes who will take part in this year’s MTN Kampala International Marathon slated for December 9.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

The national athletics body(RAF) has named twelve athletes who will take part in this year’s MTN Kampala International Marathon slated for December 9.

Médiatrice Nyirarangwa(Nas), Félix Ntirenganya(Police), Eric Mazimpaka(Police), Fred Twahirwa(APR), Jean Baptiste Ruvubi(Nas) Evariste Twahirwa(Nas), Elie Ndayizeye (Gatenga), Sumaili Sayidi(PUMA), Abdallah Habyarimana(Puma), Selemani Niyonshuti (Puma), Patrick Ishaka (Puma) and Paul Kaitana(Gatenga) are expecetd to compete in the 42km full marathon that is currently dominated by Kenyans.

The 12-man team includes only one girl from the New Athletics club based in Kicukiro. The athletics federation Technical Director, Emmanuel Murenzi told Times Sport that the athkletes were named basing on their performance this year . "Among the twelve athletes, two will be catered for by the hosting federation,’ Murenzi said. Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) last month sent invitations to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania but the other countries are yet to confirm.

The UAF will cater for the transport and upkeep of all invited athletes but many individual runners are expected to come from the East African region.

Tanzania has sent Flora Kasali and Rebecca Kajina .  UAF postponed the event by three weeks to give way to the just concluded Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) last month.  A record 6,015 runners have registered for the event. The figure, 2,000 more than last year’s edition, will help in raising over 30 million Ugandan shillings (18,000 U.S. dollars) to help expectant mothers living in Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps in war-ravaged northern Uganda.
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