Downtown Los Angeles lit up on Wednesday evening as Kenya Sevens rugby teams joined 30 other men’s and women’s teams, to kick-off the ‘Parade of Nations’ ahead of Los Angeles leg of the World Rugby Sevens Circuit.
The Parade of Nations is a sports, media and entertainment extravaganza that introduces the people of Los Angeles to the 2025 edition of the Los Angeles Sevens.
The event was held at the Main Plaza on the 800 block of Olympic Boulevard, in downtown Los Angeles. This strip of the city is domiciled in the iconic sports and entertainment district of Los Angeles. Kenya Sevens men’s team, christened ‘Shujaa’ and the women’s team ‘Kenya Lionesses’ took part in the captain’s photo call, and later on interacted with journalists and fans.
Los Angeles is a major base for the estimated 300,000 Kenyan diaspora in the US to congregate. Already, social media is rife with numerous after parties in the City of Angles.
“Kenya Corner” is once again likely to explode as Kenyans from all over the US congregate in LA to cheer on their beloved team. Live music and the bombastic beats of the best Kenyan DJ’s will entertain the crowds at the Dignity Health Sport Park. Among the Kenyan DJ’s invited to entertain the crowds on May 3 and 4th are DJ Tucha, DJ Edge, DJ Simple Simon, and DJ Alex.
This weekend, the Kenyan teams have everything to fight for in their respective play-off matches of Los Angeles Sevens that marks the end of the 2024/2025 World Rugby Sevens Series.
Kenya Sevens men finished ninth in the 12-team series to drop down to promotion/relegation event in Los Angeles, while Kenya Lionesses won the 2025 Challenger Series and are looking to gain promotion to the 2025/2026 World Rugby Sevens Series.
Kenya's Nygel Pettersan Amaitsa celebrates with his team mate Vincent Onyala after scoring their first try against Fiji in Main Cup final match of the Singapore Sevens tournament at National Stadium in Singapore on April 6, 2025.
Photo credit: Photo | Reuters
Kenya Sevens men, christened ‘Shujaa’ will take on Samoa at 9.28pm (Kenyan time) on Saturday in their opening match of Pool ‘A’ before squaring it out with Portugal at 12.51am on Sunday. They will then renew their rivalry with hosts USA from 9.28pm on Sunday.
The sports and entertainment district of Los Angeles welcomes more than 20 million guests every year. The ‘Parade of Nations’ gave both the Kenyan men’s and women’s teams an opportunity to proudly raise the Kenyan flag.
Guest speakers at the event included Alex Merchan, the chairman of ‘LA2028’, a team promoting sports Los Angeles in the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and Doane Liu, head of Los Angeles Tourism. The Parade of Nations was done just steps away from the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and just three hours before an NBA play-offs game between the LA Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
This is because Kenya Lionesses, christened ‘Kenya Lionesses’, were crowned champions of the recently concluded Challenger Series in Poland, while Shujaa are still basking in the glory of their final appearance against sevens rugby giants Fiji in Singapore. Before coming to LA, the Lionesses had been in camp at the Sadili Oval in Kenya. They find themselves in Pool ‘A’ which also contains Spain, Brazil and Colombia.
Sevens rugby analyst Michael Kwambo said: “The Lionesses have been nothing short of inspiring in the Challenger Series. From the first leg, you could tell they were playing with purpose—and with pride. They’ve grown game by game, and they are great to watch. Winning two out of three legs isn’t just a stat—it’s a statement. This team is on the rise, and they’re doing it with so much heart”.
Former South Coast Pirates (SCP) Forwards Coach and Kenya 15s captain, Brian Nyikuli, thinks the Lionesses have a good chance of making it into the pool of core teams in the 2025/26 World Rugby Sevens Circuit.
“Kenya Lionesses have been nothing but spectacular. If you look at the last three seasons, they have been very consistent and it was only a matter of time before they got to the podium,” he said.
Nyikuli is of the view that the sponsorship support that the Lionesses have received, is central to their good performances on the pitch.
For their part, Shujaa find themselves in a play-off dogfight in Pool A. This pool includes home team USA, Portugal, and Samoa. USA dropped to the play-offs with Shujaa, and were joined by Portugal and Samoa, both promoted from the Challenger Series.
Kibui Butt, an avid Rugby fan and former Kenya Harlequin player from 2000-2002, said: “Shujaa have risen to the occasion and been very consistent except for the Vancouver tournament where are lost every game”.
He emphasizes that sponsorships have been critical to player welfare for both the men’s and women’s sevens programmes in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Circuit, and the Challenger Series.
“Sponsorship for Kenya 7s is critical and desperately needed. The funding pushes and ensures operations, travel, housing and player compensation are fulfilled. That also brings peace of mind to the squad and coaching staff. When you can focus on just the game and strategy then you have a strong foundation,” he said.
Los Angeles is a major base for the estimated 300,000 Kenyan diaspora in the US to congregate. Already, social media is rife with numerous after parties in the City of Angles. “Kenya Corner” is once again likely to explode as Kenyans from all over the US congregate in LA to cheer on their beloved Shujaa and Lionesses into the HSBC core teams for both men and women in the next sevens rugby cycle. Live music and the bombastic beats of the best Kenyan DJ’s will entertain the crowds at the Dignity Health Sport Park. Among the Kenyan DJ’s invited to entertain the crowds on May 3 and 4th are DJ Tucha, DJ Edge, DJ Simple Simon, and DJ Alex.
Team training venues are located at the Great Park on the 800 block of Great Park Boulevard in Irvine – a suburb of LA and at Long Beach State University, in Long Beach California. The actual games will be played on two pitches – Pitch 1 and Pitch 2. This is due to the LA7s catering to both the Men’s and Women’s teams.
