German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo has criticised the East African country for allegedly failing to support her sports journey, even after switching loyalty.
Ndolo had represented Germany for 15 years until November last year when she decided to fence for Kenya, her father’s home country.
In a long post on Instagram, she said all she had received in the last nine months were “empty words and promises” from the Kenyan Fencing Federation (KFF).
“I have travelled to many competitions without my coach and not once taken a physio with me. For a fencer of my calibre, this is not just unusual, it is unheard of,” she wrote.
The 36-year-old said she had exhausted her savings and could not single-handedly develop or promote fencing in Kenya.
“I have reached my limit,” she added.
Ndolo, who has a Polish mother, is a founding member of KFF and has helped start a training centre in the capital, Nairobi.
She is hoping to secure qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 but before then, she urged Kenyan authorities to “put some actions behind your words”.
National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) secretary general, Francis Mutuku, told Daily Nation that Ndolo couldn’t be funded until her transition of becoming a Kenyan fencer was completed.
An athlete changing citizenship can compete for their adopted country only after three years, but this period can be reduced if both countries and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agree.
