Sports bound to grow under new regime

First off, let me extend my warm congratulations to His Excellency President-elect William Ruto following the confirmation of his win by the Supreme Court, earlier this week.

I wish him God’s grace and blessings as he embarks on the noble duty of serving the great nation of Kenya.  

Undoubtedly, it is no easy task considering the tens of millions of expectations harboured by Kenyans of all walks, creeds, tribes, religions and professional backgrounds.

Each one of us has dreams and ambitions for the future and pray that the new government will enact relevant measures to make these dreams into reality.  

It is no doubt, time to walk the talk as all Kenyans will be hawk-eyed to see whether the promises made by the new government will be fulfilled.

Within the sports industry, including the athletics fraternity, we are pregnant with expectations that Kenya’s growing reputation as a sporting destination will continue to reverberate further and further, globally.  

During the 10-year tenure of the Jubilee government —in which our incoming president was the second-in-command —we have witnessed immense growth in the sports industry. Within athletics circles, the successful hosting of various world-class competitions, such as the 2017 World Under-18 Championship and the 2021 World Under-20 Championship remain etched in the memories of millions around the world.  

Add to the mix, one-day athletics events, such as the Kip Keino Classic and the Agnes Tirop Memorial World Cross Country Tour, and indeed Kenya’s star has shone globally.

We are renowned for our running prowess, not forgetting other sports disciplines.  

At Athletics Kenya, we have benefitted immensely from the outgoing government’s support to identify, support and nurture young talents across the country.

These talent development programmes have subsequently been instrumental in Kenya’s dominance in the World Under-20 category in Tampere, Finland (2018) and Nairobi (2021).  

During his acceptance speech on Monday, it was encouraging to hear the President-elect promise that every young sportsperson will be provided with the right environment to realise their potential and dreams to make it to the international stage.

As AK, it aligns with what we are trying to do to ensure Kenya remains a colossus within global athletics circles for many decades to come. 

We look forward to more engagement with the government and to playing our part in nation-building by moulding the future stars of sports while sharpening the ones who have already made it to the limelight.

Korir is the Chairman of Athletics Kenya’s Nairobi branch. [email protected]