Corrections Policy
How to request a correction to information published on Athletes of Kenya.
Purpose
Athletes of Kenya maintains a historical archive of Kenyan sporting participation. Historical records are sometimes incomplete, drawn from sources that disagree with one another, or simply wrong. This policy explains how we handle requests to correct information published on the Site, who can submit one, and how that differs from a request to remove accurate historical information.What can be corrected
We will consider correction requests about any factual detail published on the Site, including (without limitation):- an athlete’s name, spelling, or preferred form of name;
- dates or places of birth or death;
- gender, nationality, or team/country representation;
- sporting discipline, event, or classification;
- competition appearances, results, placings, or medals;
- biographical text; and
- image captions, credits, or attributions.
Evidence we look for
Because the Site is a reference work, we weigh correction requests against verifiable evidence rather than acting on assertion alone. Helpful evidence includes:- links to official results, federation records, or Olympic/Paralympic archives;
- reputable independent secondary sources (for example, established sports-reference databases or archives);
- official documents (for example, birth/death records, government identification, or federation correspondence) where relevant and where you are comfortable sharing them;
- for family/next-of-kin submissions, information establishing your relationship to the athlete concerned; and
- a clear, specific description of what is wrong and what you believe the correct information to be.
If you share an official document or identification as evidence, please redact or obscure any information on it that is not relevant to the correction (for example, an identification or document number, unrelated personal details, or information about someone other than the athlete concerned) before sending it to us. We only need enough of the document to verify the specific fact in question.
We do not require every category of evidence for every request — the standard is "sufficient credible evidence for the nature of the correction," not a fixed checklist. Straightforward typographical or spelling corrections generally need less evidence than a disputed date of birth or a contested result.How to submit a correction
Use our Contact page and begin your message with “Correction request,” or email hello@aok.co.ke directly, including:
- the athlete or page concerned (name, competition, year, event, or a link);
- what you believe is incorrect;
- what you believe the correct information is; and
- any supporting evidence or sources.
Acknowledgement and review timing
We aim to acknowledge a correction submission promptly. Where we have sufficient evidence to assess the request, we aim to resolve straightforward corrections within 14 days of acknowledgement. More complex requests — for example, those involving conflicting sources, sensitive information, or a request affecting how a person is described — may take longer, and we will let you know if that is the case.These are target timeframes for our own operational purposes, not a guaranteed or contractually binding turnaround.Urgent corrections
If a correction concerns actively harmful, defamatory, or clearly erroneous published content — for example, a factual claim that could seriously mislead or harm someone’s reputation — please mark your submission as urgent. We will prioritise an initial review of urgent submissions ahead of our ordinary queue, and may temporarily annotate or withhold the disputed detail from display while we investigate, without that action implying the request has been accepted.Minor corrections versus material corrections
- Minor corrections (for example, spelling, formatting, a missing accent, an obvious data-entry slip) are generally made directly once verified, without a separate public notice.
- Material corrections (for example, a changed result, medal, date of birth or death, or a materially different biographical claim) are made once we are satisfied the evidence supports the change, and — where we judge it editorially appropriate — we may add a brief, visible correction note on the affected page indicating that the record was updated and, in general terms, why.
Where we decline a request
We may decline to make a requested change where, after review, we are not satisfied the evidence supports it, where the request conflicts with independently verifiable historical records, or where the request is, in substance, asking us to remove accurate information rather than correct an error. Where we decline a request, we will try to explain why in reasonably plain terms.Disputes between credible sources
Where two or more credible sources genuinely disagree (for example, an official results archive states one date and a federation record states another), we will generally present the information we assess as most likely correct based on primary or official sources, and may note the discrepancy in the record’s sourcing detail (see our Research and Sources Policy) rather than silently picking one version. We are not obliged to adopt whichever version a requester prefers where the underlying sources remain genuinely in conflict.
Correction requests versus removal requests
A correction request asks us to fix something we have got wrong. A removal request asks us to take down or stop publishing something that is accurate. We treat these differently:- We will correct genuine errors.
- We will not automatically remove accurate historical sporting information simply because a subject, their family, or another party would prefer it not to be published. Athletes of Kenya’s purpose is historical, statistical, educational, and journalistic, and we consider there to ordinarily be a legitimate public interest in preserving an accurate historical sporting record.
- That said, we will still consider a removal request on its individual facts — for example, where information was never appropriate to publish, where it concerns a minor in a way that raises particular concern, where it is genuinely sensitive and only marginally relevant to the historical record, or where applicable law gives you a specific right that applies to your situation.
Ordinary corrections versus formal data-protection requests
Most correction requests are ordinary editorial matters, handled under this policy as a straightforward "please fix this" exchange. Separately, if you want to exercise a formal legal right under applicable data protection law (for example, a specific access, objection, or erasure right), please say so explicitly in your message — we will still handle it through the same hello@aok.co.ke contact channel, but will treat it as a formal request requiring its own review, rather than as an ordinary editorial correction.Next-of-kin and family submissions
Athletes themselves, their authorised representatives, researchers, and the relatives or next-of-kin of deceased athletes may all submit correction evidence, and we welcome family input, which is often a valuable source of detail not found in official archives. However, a next-of-kin request does not, on its own, automatically override independently verifiable historical records — we will still weigh it as evidence alongside other sourcing, as described above.Escalation
If you disagree with how we have handled your correction request, you may ask us to review the decision again by replying to our response with any further evidence or explanation. Escalations are reviewed by Mark Laai, Founder, as the current escalation owner for corrections.Recordkeeping
We keep a record of correction requests, the evidence considered, and the outcome, for our own editorial quality and accountability purposes.Contact
- Email: hello@aok.co.ke
- Post: Athletes of Kenya, Coffee Garden Drive, Muthaiga North, Nairobi, Kenya