NAIROBI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President William Ruto said on Friday his government is working closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support refugees to participate in sports.
Ruto, who met visiting IOC President Thomas Bach and UNHCR Commissioner Filippo Grand in Nairobi, said that these efforts are harnessing the athletic talent and potential of refugees at Kakuma in northwest Kenya and positioning the camp as a hub for Olympic talent.
"We commit to work with your organizations in the development of sports infrastructure and provision of education and training programs and facilities," he said according to a statement issued by the presidency.
The Kenyan leader pointed out that the Sports Fund has been aligned with Kenya's development goals, including actively working to combat doping and ensure fair and clean competition.
On his part, Grandi lauded Kenya for the role it has played over the years in hosting refugees and helping them to feel at home away from home.
He expressed the appreciation of UNHCR to the Turkana and Garissa county governments for including refugee affairs in their development plans.
Both Ruto and Bach discussed potential partnerships between the IOC and the Kenya Academy of Sports to further advance the development of sports so that Kenya's sportsmen and women can fully reap the benefits of their talent and reach their potential.
Bach pointed out that Kenya has effectively established itself as a reputable sporting nation internationally, with commendable sports administration nationally.
He commended the government for fully supporting sports, adding that Kenya is one of the IOC members with a holistic sports program.
"Kakuma is the cradle of the IOC refugee team and many refugee athletes have trained there," Bach said.
The IOC head also told President Ruto that he had held talks with Kenyans sports officials and had agreed that any issues that arose on doping would be addressed comprehensively. ■