Swimming stakeholders fear Kenyan swimmers may miss next year's Paris Olympics if the elections are not held by November.
Nairobi county secretary Kenneth Karani said the pending court case could jeopardise Kenya's chances of participating in sports' biggest extravaganza.
“Majority of the stakeholders, be it coaches, clubs and counties, want the elections to go ahead. However, we have a court case could jeopardise the whole scenario” noted Karimi.
He added that the Olympics is the pinnacle of the sport for any athlete and the swimmers missing out on such an opportunity will be a big shame.
"It will be a disaster if our swimmers don't go to Paris due to a failed electoral process. We will be denying them a chance to compete on the grandest stage,” noted Karani
National Olympic Committee of Kenya secretary general Francis Mutuku, a member of the swimming stabilisation team appointed by World Aquatics to chart the way forward, said they will meet the Sports CS Ababu Namwamba in the course of this week as negotiations continue.
Karani welcomes the move, saying: “The CS must intervene and offer a political solution to save us from a long-term ban. This will safeguard the future of our youthful swimmers."
The long-awaited elections were due to be held last month but failed to take off at the 11th hour.
But on Monday, World Aquatics gave Kenya a lifeline by asking the elections be done within 90 days but at the same suspended Kenyan swimmers from international events, including the World Junior Championships slated for Netanya, Israel, in September.
Since 2016 when former chairman Ben Ekumbo resigned due to the Olympic kits scandal, the Kenya Swimming Federation has been hit by wrangles and court cases which have blighted the sport, and numerous forms and instances of intervention have failed to resolve the issue.
Some stakeholders fear Kenyarisk a four-year ban if the latest ultimatum if not effected.
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