In Paris

Kenya hopes to bank on the Paris Olympic Games to brand the country and strengthen its socio-economic, political and cultural relationships with France.

On Saturday, the “Kenya House” will open in Paris where Kenya’s trade and investment opportunities will be trumpeted to locals and visiting nationals here for the Olympic Games.

Cultural displays and the allure of Kenya as a sporting destination will also be on parade at the exhibition spearheaded by the State Department of Culture.

Kenya’s ambassador to France, Betty Cherwon, sees the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games as an ideal shop window and soft power to unlock Paris-Nairobi exchanges.

“Apart from just boosting the image of Kenya, it (Olympics) also boosts our relations with France,” Cherwon said after visiting Miramas where she motivated Team Kenya athletes who have been in this Southern France city for a two-week, pre-Olympics training camp.

“As the Kenyan Embassy in Paris… this is a highlight for us, being part of history. The 2024 Paris Olympics is happening 100 years after the Olympics were first held here, and we are right there in the middle of it,” Ambassador Cherwon said.

“Kenya has a strong team this year, and it is recognized not just by Kenya but by all of Africa and internationally. Apart from boosting the image of Kenya, it does boost our relations with France. As a mission, it gives us so much pride to be part of this history.”

The envoy said bilateral sporting relations with Miramas City is one of the already-cemented legacy programmes that will spring out of Paris 2024.

“The City of Miramas has offered to train Kenyan sportsmen and women… this is a relationship that will build beyond.”

She revealed that Miramas has undertaken to twin with Elgeyo Marakwet County to foster closer sporting exchanges.

“Miramas will be supporting projects in Elgeyo Marakwet County and after that they will go beyond that to support other counties.

“We are looking at making more bilateral agreements or memoranda of understanding in health, and especially in sports medicine. France is big in terms of sports medicine and we are looking at gaining from that, and it’s a symbiotic relationship that works in the interest of France and Kenya.”

The ambassador noted that exchanges in environmental issues will also play a key role in cementing the Paris 2024 legacy programme.
In a reception hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday, the French Head of State paid tribute to Kenya for organizing a successful climate change summit in Nairobi last year.

“There will be a summit, just before the Olympics, that will talk about sports, the environment and health and we want to tap into that.

“With Kenya being known and recognized here in France and internationally as a sporting country, there is a lot that we stand to benefit from that,” the ambassador noted.

The ambassador stressed the need to raise the profile of sports in socio-economic development.

“I’d like to encourage our young people, and also the leadership, that there is a future in sports. There are careers in sports and for Kenya, we are sitting on a goldmine.

“My call is on the leadership – let’s have more stadia, let’s have more sporting activities, let’s have curriculum in schools that give prominence to sport.”

Cherwon paid tribute to Team Kenya here for the Olympics, wishing them well as the action gets underway.

“You are the best! I’ve watched our great swimmer Maria (Brunlehner) swimming, I’ve watched the rugby team in intense training, I’ve watched (Julius) Yego doing his training in the javelin and also (Ferdinand) Omanyala in the sprints and our (women’s volleyball team) “Malkia Strikers” and I couldn’t be more confident that these very good sports people will do Kenya very well.”