Gold medal winners during the Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics will earn Sh3 million, the government announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, Sports PS Elijah Mwangi said that medallists will be rewarded on the same scale as their hearing counterparts when he handed over the national flag to Team Kenya.
The 25th edition of the quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes with hearing impairments starts this Saturday and concludes on November 26.
Kenya will be represented by a 180-member team including athletes, team officials, interpreters, and medics.
Mr Mwangi said that medallists will be rewarded according to the new scheme announced by President William Ruto in September. President Ruto increased the reward for gold medal winners in major sporting events from Sh750,000.
Silver medallists will earn Sh2 million, up from Sh500,000, while bronze medallists will receive Sh1 million, up from Sh350,000.
“I urge you to give it your all when you go out there. I know your coaches have done their work, and we, as a government, have done our part by facilitating and supporting you. Now, all that’s left is for you to compete. We pray that you will bring home more medals than the 24 you won at the 24th Deaflympics,” Mwangi said.
“As per His Excellency President William Ruto’s order, any gold medal you win will earn you Sh3 million. Silver medals will earn Sh2 million, and bronze medals will earn Sh1 million. We believe in you and know you will break records. Some Sh5 million will be waiting for every record broken,” said the PS. He added that all the medallists will be flown back in business class. Mwangi said the Ministry of Sports will treat all teams equally.
The Tokyo Deaflympics will mark Kenya’s eighth appearance since its debut in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1997.
The team will compete in five disciplines: athletics, men’s handball, swimming, women’s basketball, and golf.
Team Kenya CEO Duncan Kuria expressed confidence that the squad will excel in Tokyo and earn an invitation to State House from President Ruto. “I’m very confident that this team will post good results and make this country proud,” Kuria said.
He added, “I was happy when PS Mwangi echoed what I have been telling you: that we are going to receive the flag from the PS. However, we will take the flag back to State House because of the medals we will win in Tokyo.”
Team Kenya assistant captain Maureen Auma promised that they would fly the country’s flag high at the Games.
We have been in the residential training camp for 25 days, and we have trained hard. We believe that when we go to Tokyo, we will defeat many countries and bring back positive results,” said Auma, exuding confidence that Team Kenya will break several records at the global event.
Approximately 6,000 participants from around the world, including athletes and officials, are expected to attend the Tokyo Deaflympics.
Kenya has consistently performed well in the Deaflympics, and its 24-medal haul in Brazil remains the country’s best performance to date.
At the 2017 Summer Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey, Kenya ranked first in Africa and ninth globally after winning 16 medals (five gold, five silver, and six bronze).
