Governor Alex Tolgos on Tuesday led in unveiled Iten town’s World Athletics Heritage Plaque awarded to the Elgeyo Marakwet County capital by the world athletics governing body for it’s a long-standing contribution to the sport.
According to World Athletics, the World Athletics Heritage Plaque is a location-based recognition that highlights, celebrates and links together iconic and historic athletics competitions, careers, performances, cities, venues, landmarks and culture around the world.
“The Plaque is awarded for “an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out of stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking,” World Athletics explains.
Last year, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe announced Iten and Bekoji town in Ethiopia as recipients of the prestigious heritage landmark Plaque on the eve of the World Relays in Yokohama, Japan.
The head of WA Heritage Department Chris Turner termed the recognition as a thing that is in the heart and soul of athletics.
“The fact that so many athletes come from one place and train in one area with many athletes having gone to Iten and live, a place where athletes go, a home of champions – is one of the reasons why we recognized Iten with this plaque,” said Turner then.
Iten, along with all other recipients of the Heritage Plaque have the right to use the World Athletics Heritage Site Badge which is a recognition which comes with the award of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.
They have the right to display the badge on platforms (websites, social media) and printed publications, to promote the award of the plaque.
The plaque was sent to Athletics Kenya who in turn handed it over to the Elgeyo Marakwet County Government at a ceremony held at the governor’s office in the presence of North Rift Athletics Kenya chairman Jackson Pkemoi among other officials.
Governor Tolgos said the county has done a lot in positioning it as a global athletics destination which will also attract more international athletes for training in the region.
He said the county received Sh400 million from the British Government to establish sporting facilities and other economic initiatives in Iten that would attract more local and foreign sports enthusiasts and investors keen on athletics and other sports.
Each year, World Athletics will periodically award plaques taking advantage of appropriate moments in the international athletics calendar to make those announcements.
