World safety fears for duo

From the archive, first published Friday 9th Mar 2007.

Southend's Adam Hickey and Andrew Livingstone (Thurrock Harriers) will travel to compete in the World Cross Country Championships later this month with major fears over the event.

For UK Athletics are treating "very seriously" a statement from the United States government about the possibility of disruption to the competition, being staged in Mombasa, Kenya, on March 24.

US citizens in Kenya were urged this week to raise personal vigilance, mindful that nine years ago attacks on its embassy there and in Tanzania saw 250 people killed.

Embassy spokeswoman Jennifer Barnes warned of possible disruptions to the one-day meeting.

She said: "The US embassy is aware of public statements by leaders of Kenya's coastal Muslim community, threatening to disrupt the World Cross Country Champion-ships through unspecified means."

Sheikh Mohammed Dor, secretary general of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, confirmed: "We are going to have a very big demonstration during that time to show that Muslims are marginalised in Kenya."

After receiving news from the International Association of Athletics Federations of the possibility Mombasa "could be the target of disruption by activists or even a terrorist attack", UKA performance director Dave Collins took prompt action.

He immediately contacted Alan Storey, team leader of the Norwich Union Great Britain senior side, who are preparing for the championships in Durban, South Africa.

"I told him what information we had received and to ensure the squad takes their own personal security seriously," said Collins.

"You ignore information such as this at your peril - it must be treated very seriously."

The IAAF have reassured the 69 countries sending teams and their supporters, plus the international media travelling to Mombasa, that a contingency plan exists.

Communications director Nick Davies said:"We have received an assurance from the Kenyan government that a specific security plan involving all branches of the country's military and police forces is already in place.

"The IAAF would like to reassure all those who are planning to travel to Kenya that every effort is being made on their behalf by the Kenyan authorities, in close cooperation with the IAAF."

Hickey, the ex Southend High School for Boys student currently studying at Loughborough, qualified automatically for his third world cross-country by finishing third in the qualifier, the inter-counties championship at Wollaton Park, Nottingham, last month.

Livingstone finished fourth to gain selection for his first world event. Hickey's previous two appearances were in France and Japan. The duo are both aged 18.

Although the senior teams are currently preparing for Mombasa in Durban, the junior team that Hickey, who lives in Thorpe Bay, and Grays' Livingstone, are involved in are not expected to fly out until a few days before the race.

Neither athlete was available for comment.