Kenyan athlete drops dead as she is removed from Olympic list


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The Kenya paralympic team head coach Herina Malit collapsed and died Thursday shortly after she was dropped from the Beijing-bound side.

According to the Amputee Association of Kenya official, Christopher Moori, Malit collapsed and died at the team’s residential camp at the Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, shortly after she was informed that she had been dropped from the team.

The Kenya paralympics team is preparing for the Beijing Paralympic Games slated for 6-17 September in Beijing, China.

Apparently no reason was given for Malit’s removal and the subsequent appointment of coach Elizabeth Olaba.

Sports officials here remained tightlipped as those who could have commented on the matter, including Sports Minister Professor Hellen Sambili, and top National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) officials, are all in Beijing for the Olympic Games.

But Moori was emphatic that Malit collapsed and died after learning of the sudden removal of her name from the list of athletes and officials for the Paralympics. “Malit died after her name was removed from the list of athletes and officials traveling to Beijing, it was very unfair,” he said.

The late Malit was no newcomer to the world of sports, in her younger days she was a shot putter and javelin thrower.

At the time of her death, she was also a member of the Kenya Amateur Handball Federation.

Beijing Olympics 2008  The 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China takes place between August 8 and 24. This dossier focuses on the hopes, aspirations, and achievements of athletes from the African continent.
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