Spend sports’ cash prudently
Local sports federations and sports personalities should pay back goodwill from sponsors by prudently using funds advanced to them to deliver good results.
Despite the current economic hardships, many companies have come out strongly to support major sporting championships, as well as individual sports personalities in the country this year.
On Thursday, Absa Bank Kenya forked out Sh40 million to sponsor Kip Keino Classic, the Kenyan round of the 2024 World Athletics Continental Gold Tour series, which will be held on April 20 at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
From the sponsorship package, Sh30 million will go towards running the event, logistics and prize money, while Sh10 million will be used for publicity.
This comes a month after Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) had boosted Kenya’s preparations for the Paris Olympic Games with Sh30 million in sponsorship to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) .
From the funds, Sh10 million will be used to cater to the needs of the national women’s volleyball team and Kenya’s relay team that will compete in the World Athletics Relay Championships from May 4 to 5 in Bahamas.
This year, the government has also teamed up with Absa Bank Kenya, KCB, Safaricom, Lotto Foundation, among others, to facilitate major sporting championships and individual sports personalities in the last three months.
These corporations sponsored the Kenya Open Golf Championships at Muthaiga Golf Club, Kenya Ladies Open Golf Tour in Kilifi, and Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Championships which were held in April. Last month, the government also jointly funded the World Rally Championship Safari Rally with some of these local companies.
It's encouraging to see the increase in corporate sponshorships in the local sporting scene, and we urge the federations and sports personalities to utilise the funds diligently.
In particular, sports administrators should avoid malfeasance and pilferage as this will erode trust among sponsors.
We should not witness a repeat of financial scandals such as that witnessed in Team Kenya camp during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Officials must utilise the funds prudently, and account for every coin spent on Team Kenya.
