KENYA'S National Olympic Committee (KNOC) will not grant 800 metres world champion Wilson Kipketer permission to run for Denmark at the Atlanta Olympic Games, a senior executive said in Nairobi yesterday.

"We cannot give any authority since the rules in the Olympic Charter are very clear, and we cannot divert from the rules because we will be setting a bad precedent," said KNOC chairman Charles Mukora.

The Daily Nation newspaper, reporting on the Kipketer saga, said: "Given Mukora's comments and President (Daniel Arap) Moi's charge that Kenyans who compete for other countries are unpatriotic, (KNOC) approval (for Kipketer) seems doubtful."

That effectively meant that if Kipketer wants to run in Atlanta in July, he must be granted citizenship by the Danish parliament or run for Kenya. He has previously said he felt Danish and wanted to give Denmark an Olympic gold medal.