NAIROBI, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will send 123 athletes to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the country's Olympics Committee announced on Wednesday.
The National Olympics Committee-Kenya (NOCK) which also serves as the Commonwealth Games Association of Kenya, declared it was preparing to assemble a "dynamic team" for the event that runs from July 28 to Aug. 8 in Birmingham, England.
"We have agreed jointly with the ministry of sports for improved performance at the Games. NOCK has been closely monitoring the selection criteria of the teams, to ensure that the best Kenyan athletes are selected to represent the country," Francis Mutuku, General-Secretary of NOCK, told reporters in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Kenya aims to improve on the tally of 17 medals (four golds, seven silvers and six bronzes) won at the previous 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, and will be represented in 20 sporting disciplines at the multi-sport event in Birmingham.
Athletics Kenya will dispatch its largest contingent of 45 athletes, focusing on traditional strong events like track, field and marathon along with boxing, in which they pocketed a bronze in Gold Coast.
According to NOCK, the berths in other sports were decided based on athletes' current and previous performance, and some of the selected athletes are asked to report to a residential training camp in Nairobi from May 21 to prepare for Birmingham.
Ten teams including boxing, cycling, judo, hockey, weightlifting, 3x3 basketball, wheelchair basketball, para athletics, para powerlifting and para-cycling had reported to camp by Wednesday.
Lawn bowls, squash, swimming and beach volleyball will be training in satellite camps.
Teams yet to report to camp are athletics, triathlon, badminton, rugby and table tennis. Rugby and table tennis are currently competing abroad, while the others are yet to make their final selection.
The marathon team is the only confirmed Athletics team and is already in training at various camps.
Kenya will compete against 71 countries and regions of the Commonwealth expected at the Birmingham 2022 which is the 17th edition of the quadrennial event. ■