More than 3,000 youth enter state-sponsored talent camps
Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen meets young athletes during the launch of the 2024 National Sports Talent Camp at Aga Khan High School, Nairobi on December 4, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The initiative began in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret on December 1 and will end on December 15.
- Nairobi has the highest participants at 1,400 followed by Mombasa and Kisumu each with 600 athletes each.
Over 3,000 young athletes are undergoing a two weeks of residential training dubbed “National Sports Talent Camp” in numerous locations across the country.
The initiative, which is a collaboration between the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) and the Ministries of Sports and Education, began in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret on December 1 and will end on December 15.
The participants are between the ages of seven and 19 years and are drawn from various disciplines including athletics, football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, rugby, hockey, tennis, table tennis, and chess.
Nairobi has the highest participants at 1,400 followed by Mombasa and Kisumu each with 600 athletes each. Eldoret has 400 participants.
Talent development in sports
Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen talked about the importance of creating clear pathways for talent development in sports when he officially launched the initiative at the Aga Khan High School in Nairobi yesterday.
“The goal is to ensure sports and education complement rather than compete with each other, fostering well-rounded athletes,” said Murkomen.
The participants who were selected from primary and secondary school games are being trained by top coaches from schools and federations.
To promote exclusivity, the programme also features adaptive sports such as wheelchair basketball, amputee football, goalball, and deaf basketball.
In Mombasa, the training is being conducted at Shimo La Tewa High School, Khamisi High School, and Mombasa Baptist High School in Mombasa.
Specialised training for best talents
In Nairobi, the venues include Hospital Hill High School and Parklands Arya Girls School while in Kisumu exercise is taking place at Kisumu Boys High School and Kisumu Girls High School.
In Eldoret, the athletes have converged at Moi Girls High School and Hill School Girls in Eldoret. “The objective of this camp is to provide top notch training for students under the guidance of Kenya’s most accomplished coaches.
The camp aims at providing a platform for nurturing and sharpening of sports talents among the young athletes,” said Doreen Adhiambo, KAS Chief Executive Officer.
The best talents identified during the camps will receive specialised training, with plans to expand the initiative next year to include more athletes and a dedicated coaching programme.
