Team Kenya media plays key role in success of athletes

It is a common belief that sports lovers never know what is in the headlines. They go straight to the back pages, read all the sports stories and move on. I guess now, in keeping with the digital edge, they click “sports” on various media sites. The authors of the sports content mostly do it more as a calling rather than just work.

In the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, I had the privilege of chatting with several sports journalists about the expected performance of Team Kenya. This engagement was very insightful and brought out many facts often ignored in the preparations of Team Kenya.

The eye-opening aspect of our discussion was the prediction of how many medals we would get and in which specific events. 

At that time, I almost dismissed their analysis. Understandably, I was more emotionally optimistic about our chances than the facts presented indicated.

By the conclusion of the Tokyo 2020, the predictions shared on the medals and the event were over 90 per cent correct.

Sports journalists have extremely critical statistics of our athletes. They know them at a personal level. They have grown with some of our great legends and seen them in their best and worst times. They have been there when they walked into the race without shoes, to where they now run with state-of-the-art customised shoes.

Journalists go all the way to their homes in pursuit of stories. In athletics, some go to the remotest parts of the country and spend days following daily training schedules from early-morning runs to late-night reviews. They share meals, meet family and relatives, and, over time, develop lifetime friendships.
Sports journalists, therefore, are critical players in Team Kenya. Their engagement goes beyond reporting and coverage.

It is timely that the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) will host a workshop for sports journalists this weekend.

The workshop is not a top-down presentation but a provocation of minds to discuss critical topics concerning Team Kenya.

We owe the media a duty of information. The workshop will, therefore, cover all activities of the Olympic Committee. 

Discussions will surround Team Kenya's preparation and participation in this year’s Paris Olympics.

We also realise that sports journalists are not there just in the best times for sports. They are also there at the worst moments. They cover sports at glorious moments and also report on the worst cases. As human beings, they go through all the challenges, and while some aspects are personal to them, they still have to present the low moments to the public professionally.

We care!

We shall, therefore, have our partners, Chiromo Group of Hospitals, take journalists through “self-care” sessions. This will provide support to the scribes. Their welfare and well-being are critical as they go about their duties.

The team building session will bring together the sports media together with Team Kenya media. It is time to bond, relax and have fun. The setting of the many waterfalls around Sagana is deliberate to provide the appropriate background to what should be an exciting time.

We believe, just like in the past, coverage of our athletes will bring home the realities of what it takes to make it to the Olympics. And what it takes to bring home medals.

Our Team Kenya media is charged up for the Paris 2024 Olympics!