Athletics Kenya (AK) has placed an air quality monitor at the Nakuru Athletics Club to guarantee athletes exercise in a clean environment.
The goal of the measure is to analyze air quality at sports venues around the country to enhance the athletes’ performance.
The program, which began last year, is part of an ongoing collaboration between AK, UNEP, and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to put sensors at strategic playing and training fields around the country, according to AK Communication and Sustainability Manager Maxwell Nyamu.
According to Nyamu, AK was the first of the 214 World Athletics Federations to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action Framework.
The program puts pressure on sporting organizations to decrease their carbon footprint following the Paris Climate Agreement.
“Obtaining data on air quality is key to Athletics Kenya as it will help the federation get scientific information on what intervention measures need to be taken when AK is choosing a site for future competitions.”
”This data will also help the devolved units address the issues which could be polluting the environment in a bid to ensure our athletes’ train and compete in a clean environment,” said Nyamu.
According to SEI spokesperson Romanos Opiyo, this is the first gadget in Nakuru, with two more to be installed in a school and the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
“We want to help AK generate evidence-based information in terms of air quality to enable the federation to meet the minimum requirements set by the UNFCCC reporting system,” said Opiyo.
Opiyo said the data would allow athletes to make an educated decision on where to train.
“Research has shown that there is a clear correlation between the air quality an athlete inhales and actual performance in the field as it impacts the respiratory system of the athletes.”
“We’re keen on the well-being of our athletes because if our athletes continue training in a polluted area that would be tantamount to jeopardizing their health and this is likely to translate to poor performance in the field,” said Opiyo.
Follow us at our Twitter page at Switch TV
“We plan to mount more sensors in other strategic areas like Keringet where youthful athletes who have ended up representing Kenya in the global arena hail from and a health facility where air quality is heavily compromised.”
Faith Kipyegon, who won gold in the women’s 1500m at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, is from Keringet.
