Motor sport enthusiasts will once again next week get a chance of enjoying racing cars in the worlds toughest race.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday said, it had taken the country years of negotiations and preparations to bring back the World Rally Championship (WRC) event after an 18-year absence.

“My hope and my prayer is that the manner in which we shall conduct ourselves over the next few days will be such that everybody will accept and understand that the Safari Rally is now here and is here to stay, and we’re not likely to lose it,” President Uhuru said.

He however, said, ” it will depend on not only with how you all perform, all the agencies involved will perform but how Kenyans themselves will behave,” the President said.

President Uhuru presented brand new rally cars to young Kenyan drivers Hamza Anwar (22), McRae Kimathi (26) and Jeremy Wahome (22). The three drivers are sponsored for the WRC Safari Rally by Safaricom and Kenya Airways.

According to organisers, 58 drivers have been confirmed for the event, 24 of them foreigners with the most prominent being Frenchman Sébastien Ogier who has claimed seven WRC titles in the last eight seasons.

The event, will take place in the scenic town of Naivasha in Nakuru County. It was restored to the WRC calendar following an intensive campaign led by President Uhuru.

Rose Wachuka, the Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage, it is a “moment of pride” for Kenya.

Tokyo the capital city of Japan is at the moment the most busy destination for athletes as they jet in ahead of the forthcoming Olympics.

According to the itenerary the Olympics open on July 23 followed by the Paralympic on August 24.

Organisers say say 15,400 athletes are expected for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Including athletes, the total number expected for both events, factoring in media, broadcasters, Olympic Family, sponsors and others is about 93,000.

With the deadly Covid-19 pandemic everywhere on the globe, the Tokyo Olympics will take place under strict guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of the virus that has killed 3.82million people globally.

All those entering Japan for the Olympics will be required to follow complex testing rules – before leaving home and after arriving.

They must also agree to have their location monitored by GPS, download several apps, sign a pledge to follow the rules, maintain social distancing, stay off public transportation for the first 14 days and keep organizers informed of your whereabouts.

“We expect everybody to follow the rules. But we also have to be aware there could be infractions,” said Olympic Games Operations Director Pierre Ducrey, also speaking remotely.

“Yes, we expect you to play by the rules, but if you don’t there will be sanctions that could be coming your way.”

Ducrey said the range of punishments could go from a warning, to temporary or permanent expulsion from the Olympics, to withdrawal of accreditation or a fine.

Officials also suggested the Japanese government has the power of deportation, and individual sports federations and national Olympic committees may have their own penalties.

Dubi declined to offer specifics about possible financial penalties. He said that would be determined by a disciplinary commission.

But he said rules would apply “before, during and after” athletes compete.

“It is to reinforce the message, which is: The Playbooks are there to be followed. No transgressions,” Dubi said.

Athletes are also being required to sign waivers, typical of the Olympics. This time an added clause relieves the IOC of responsibly from any fallout from COVID-19.

Dubi suggested athletes or national federations would have insurance coverage for most eventualities.

“Then there are a number of cases for which the risks cannot be covered and this is then the responsibility of the participants,” Dubi said. He said this was standard practice in the sports industry.

The International Olympic Committee says more that 80% of those staying in the Olympic Village will be fully vaccinated.

This contrasts with about 5% of the Japanese population that has been vaccinated in a slow rollout that is just now speeding up.

The Japanese medical community has largely opposed holding these Olympics in Tokyo, arguing the risks are too great.

The government’s main medical adviser Dr. Shigeru Omi has said it’s “abnormal” to hold the Olympics during a pandemic.

Tokyo and other regions of the country remain under a state of emergency that expires on Sunday.

Reports in Japan suggest the government is likely to lift the state of emergency but still impose rules on restaurant hours and other businesses that draw crowds.

Fans from abroad have been banned from Tokyo and organizers say a decision on having any local fans at Olympic venues will be announced by the end of the month.

Japan has officially spent $15.4 billion on organizing the Olympics, although government audits say the figure is much larger.

Jeff Shell, who heads NBCUniversal, said this week these Olympics might be the most profitable ever, despite the pandemic.

NBC, the American rights holder, is the single largest source of IOC income, representing about 40% of total income.

It paid the IOC about $4.4 billion for four Olympics from 2014 through 2020, and $7.75 billion more for six games – 2022 through 2032.

Members of Kigali Golf Club (KGC) may have to wait longer before they play any game after a reckless contractor marvelled through the most of the golf course and sprayed it with a harmful chemical.

A large portion of the almost US$11 million course has been burnt and it might take months before it sees life again.

It all began with the supplier ignoring the content of the soil sample that needed specific chemicals and fertiliser pillages. Stock worth over US$70,000 was paid for by the Management of KGC.

Then a contractor responsible for maintaining the course, who also happens to be the one who built the course, went ahead and applied the chemicals without testing the possible effects.

Normally, a test would be conducted on a small portion off the main course to assess the effect before it is applied on the whole course. Now, after negligently spraying the chemicals, the whole multimillion-dollar course is in jeopardy.

It doesn’t not only look yellow, it also is unstable. The management of KGC convened on Tuesday June 9, to figure out how to manage the crisis before the situation backfires.

The contractor’s monthly payment worth US$25,000 has already been signed, but sources told Taarifa that it is temporarily being held by senior management.

The course that has been under construction has not hosted any tournament. It was expected to be officially opened during CHOGM that was slated on 22nd this month. It means if CHOGM was still on, the country would have suffered a historic and unforgivable embarrassment.

In May, Infrastructure Minister, Clever Gatete, who oversees this investment, convined a general meeting with all stakeholders, and requested a status report on the whole investment.

Trusted sources told Taarifa that the team he assigned the task could have flouted his directives. As things appear, he might have been duped into believing all is well or no report was made at all, going by the disturbing evidence of mismanagement and misappropriation of resources and funds that Taarifa obtained from trusted sources.

Meanwhile, for months, Taarifa has been conducting an investigation into allegations of mismanagement of this project worth around US$20 million. A series of special reports will be published in a few days ahead.