Children from various schools in a procession to mark this year’s World Kids Athletics Day at St Agatha Mokwo Girls Secondary School in Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County on May 07, 2025.
The local athletics federation has won World Athletics Member Federation Kids’ Athletics Day Challenge, beating 120 others from around the globe.
Athletics Kenya (AK) claimed the inaugural Member Federation award of the Kids’ Athletics Day challenge after contributing almost a quarter of the participants in the ‘Relay Around the World.”
Around the globe, more than 600,000 children across all six continental areas participated in over 1200 activations to promote Kids’ Athletics Day – a global day dedicated to celebrating children and young people being active by participating in athletics. This year’s theme, Relay Around the World, was inspired by the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, taking place this weekend.
On Friday, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe disclosed that Kenya will pocket a US$10,000 (Sh1.3m) award to be used to promote and activate Kids’ Athletics or an equivalent youth activity in the country. Costa Rica and Norway each finished runners-up, and will each get US$5,000 (Sh650,000) to support Kids’ Athletics activities in their countries.
Kenya’s Kids’ Athletics Day relay involved more than 140,500 children from the global turnout of more than 600,000 children cutting across all six continental areas in over 1200 activations.
Additionally, Kenya’s event involved 600 coaches, teachers and volunteers from schools and clubs from multiple counties across the country. Costa Rica celebrated with nationwide relays, engaging more than 106,000 children. In almost one day, Norway hosted a school relay across the whole country, reaching more than 98,000 children.
The challenge, which ran from April 6 to Kids’ Athletics Day on May 7, was the biggest, most inclusive Kids’ Athletics participation activity, targeting 500,000 kids across the world.
“We’re extremely proud that we have beaten our target and over 600,000 kids participated in relays across all six continental areas in over 1200 activations,” Coe observed yesterday in Guangzhou.
“Congratulations to Kenya and all the Member Federations that took part in the challenge but also to every athletics club, school and individual who participated. We couldn’t have done this without you,” said Coe.
AK President Jackson Tuwei, who one of Coe’s four deputies at World Athletics, and AK Director for Youth and Development Barnaba Korir saying the news was humbling.
“We’re delighted to be named winners of Kids’ Athletics Day Member Federation Challenge,” said Tuwei. He explained that it was made possible with the support of trained Kids’ Athletics instructors nationally.
Tuwei said AK mobilised thousands of children through schools and community partnerships, offering children opportunities to engage in structured athletics, promoting physical development, teamwork and encouraging a spirit of fun.
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“The Kids’ Athletics programme has become a cornerstone of our grassroots development strategy, playing a vital role in talent identification and instilling a lifelong appreciation for sport and healthy living,” said Tuwei.
Korir said Kenya pulled a masterstroke by infusing environmental activities in the relay. That saw children countrywide plant trees as a way of promoting a conducive sporting environment and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Most activations globally also used or created equipment from sustainable and recyclable sources. For example, batons were made from cardboard, and hurdles were made from hay bales and grass stacks. AK reached many children thanks to partnerships with county governments and Ministry of Education.
This year’s theme, Relay Around the World, was inspired by the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, taking place this weekend.
The final baton was handed to world and Olympic medallist Su Bingtian, the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 ambassador, on Friday in the presence of 100 Guangzhou school children.
Kids’ Athletics Day is the cornerstone of World Athletics’ grassroots participation programme, Kids’ Athletics. It aims to inspire children globally to be active, develop skills and confidence, and connect with sport for life.
