{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=526","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=524","results":[{"id":5241,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5241/?format=json","text_counter":237,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Imanyara","speaker_title":"The Temporary Deputy Speaker","speaker":{"id":22,"legal_name":"Gitobu Imanyara","slug":"gitobu-imanyara"},"content":" Alright, go on."},{"id":5242,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5242/?format=json","text_counter":238,"type":"heading","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS"},{"id":5243,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5243/?format=json","text_counter":239,"type":"heading","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"NOMINATION OF IAAF FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR"},{"id":5244,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5244/?format=json","text_counter":240,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Ms. Ndeti","speaker_title":"The Assistant Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports","speaker":{"id":109,"legal_name":"Wavinya Ndeti","slug":"wavinya-ndeti"},"content":" Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am sorry about that. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on 23rd November, 2011, the Member for Rarieda, Eng. Gumbo, rose on a point of order to seek a Ministerial Statement on award of female athlete of the year. I beg to state as follows. The IAAF World Athlete of the Year Award takes place every year to recognize and reward excellence by the athletes in the season under consideration. The season begins in November and ends in October the following year. Some of the winners of the award include Usain Bolt; 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay, world champion and world record holder, from Jamaica in 2011. Mr. David Rudisha, 800 metres World Athletics Champion and world champion and world record holder of Kenya in 2010. The IAAF shortlists outstanding athletes of the season and gives their names out for voting. Voting is done by selected athletics public bodies by sending in their choices of outstanding athletes. The voters are IAAF and IAF council members and IAAF member federations, IAAF committee and commission members, IAAF meeting directors, IAAF ambassadors, athletes’ representatives, top athletes, international Press and IAA staff. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, further eliminations are done in three rounds of voting. The best 10 athletes in each category are put to the final voting and the international community votes for them. The voting ends on the night preceding the Gala Night in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Headquarters of the IAAF where the final verdict is given. The selection of the athletes goes beyond performance and also looks into the outstanding personality of the athletes, media friendliness and etcetera . Because of this, sponsors also lobby behind the scenes and push for their athletes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member may wish to note that the decision finally arrived at is final and cannot be petitioned. This year, the female category was won by Sally Pearson of Australia in the 100 metres hurdle race. During the season, she won 10 out of 11 competitions. She won the events at the World Athletics Champions in Daegu, South Korea, with a time of 12.28 seconds which was the fourth fastest time ever in the event. Kenya’s closets athlete to this title was Vivian Cheruiyot who won the Senior Women 8 kilometres event in the World Cross Country Championship in Punta Umbria, Spain. She also won the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres race at the world championship in Daegu. After this rigorous selection process given above, the IAAF council reached the final verdict and made the announcement during the world athletes of the Year Gala in Monaco. I agree with the hon. Member of Rarieda that it would appear that Vivian Cheruiyot’s performance was more impressive than that of the final winner Sally Pearson. However, the decision is final. We cannot contest it. I would further urge Kenyans to get into the habit of voting whenever the opportunity to vote for our people presents itself at the international forum. This would make a significant change in the outcome of this contest in the future. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir."},{"id":5245,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5245/?format=json","text_counter":241,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Eng. Gumbo","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":24,"legal_name":"Nicholas Gumbo","slug":"nicholas-gumbo"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Assistant Minister for the Statement but unfortunately as a Kenyan, the Statement sounds to me more like a justification of why Sally Pearson won and not Vivian Cheruiyot. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, indulge me just for a moment to tell you the story of these two girls. Sally Pearson is an Australian athlete and she won the 100 metres women’s title at Daegu, South Korea this year. As the Assistant Minister said, Sally Pearson has only run the fourth fastest time in this event. On the other hand, Vivian Cheruiyot, as we know, is a Kenyan athlete. This year alone, as the Assistant Minister has said, she won the world cross country senior women title in Punta Umbria in Spain. She also won double gold medal at 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres at the world athletics championship in Daegu. Most importantly, she has been unbeaten in the IAAF Diamond League meetings the whole of this year and she has also run the world’s fastest time this year in 3,000 metres and 5,000 metres. I want to add that, this event which nominated Sally Pearson to be, according to the IAAF, the world woman athlete of the year, is 100 metres hurdles. It is one of the least glamorous events in any championship. In fact, the only time people got interested in this event was through an American athlete called Gail Devers. Having said that, our view as Kenyans, and in fact, one of our leading newspapers actually predicted her win even before she won and put a whole pull out, we clearly thought that in nominating the woman athlete of the year, it was going to be a procession not a competition. Clearly to us, we were robbed. The question I want to ask the Assistant Minister is: What are we doing? Those things about sensitizing athletic federations, the voting and all that does not mean much to Kenyans. What are we doing to make Kenyan athletes believe that it is still worth participating in these kinds of competitions?"},{"id":5246,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5246/?format=json","text_counter":242,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Imanyara","speaker_title":"The Temporary Deputy Speaker","speaker":{"id":22,"legal_name":"Gitobu Imanyara","slug":"gitobu-imanyara"},"content":" Is there any clarifications sought in respect to that Statement? Assistant Minister, please note the clarifications being sought so that you can respond to all of them at once."},{"id":5247,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5247/?format=json","text_counter":243,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Mungatana","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":185,"legal_name":"Danson Buya Mungatana","slug":"danson-mungatana"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister said in her Statement that the voting is influenced by a lot of behind-the-bar lobbying. Did the Government try to lobby for our athlete? Were they in any way involved in trying to help our athlete clinch this title or they just sit and wait for us to come and complain after the event?"},{"id":5248,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5248/?format=json","text_counter":244,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Njuguna","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":20,"legal_name":"Peter Njuguna Gitau","slug":"peter-gitau"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is evident from the Statement issued by the Assistant Minister that sponsors lobby for their versatile athletes. What is the Government doing to make sure that in future, our athletes will not lose ready awards in international meetings?"},{"id":5249,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5249/?format=json","text_counter":245,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Dr. Khalwale","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":170,"legal_name":"Bonny Khalwale","slug":"bonny-khalwale"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kenya is a powerhouse in athletics. We are also members of the nominating body. What is our Government doing to ensure that the rules of nomination that reward people are based on talent and achievement rather than on lobbying?"},{"id":5250,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/5250/?format=json","text_counter":246,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Kiptanui","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":52,"legal_name":"Jackson Kiplagat Kiptanui","slug":"jackson-kiptanui"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in view of the fact that Vivian Cheruiyot almost won this international award, what has the Assistant Minister done to reward Vivian, now that the international award was given to somebody else?"}]}