Kenya opens inquest on poor Olympic showing

Kenya's under-fire Olympic team received a tumultous welcome home from family and friends on Wednesday, even as the government announced an inquest on the poor showing at the London Games. Sports minister Paul Otuoma said a full report on the performance of the athletes at the games, where Kenya finished 28th overall in the team positions, will be made public after the enquiry is completed. "This time, I want to state that we shall not hide anything. When the report is prepared we shall release it to the public to know what really happened," said Otuoma, who was in London for the duration of the Games. "I have already made instructions that what happened in London should be brought out for all to see. We will have to make hard decisions to avoid a repeat in the future." Kenya's performance has led to acrimonious debate at home, after the squad bagged only 11 medals, including two gold, and ended up being the third best African nation behind arch-rivals South Africa and Ethiopia. The country's vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka and the chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) Kipchoge Keino, have however defended the athletes. "The team did their best and, as a nation, we are proud of what they have achieved in London. We are committed to ensuring that we continue offering them support for future events." said Musyoka. Less than half of the athletes who competed in London returned home on Wednesday. The remainder, including newly-crowned Olympic 800m champion and record holder David Rudisha remained in Europe to compete in the next leg of the Diamond League series, which resumes in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday.