Stage set for grand opening as Kenya welcomes the world
Team Kenya athletes, coaches and officials pose for a photo at Ole Sereni Hotel on August 16, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Kenyan youngsters will get the party going Wednesday when they line up in the 4x400m mixed relays.
- First Lady Margaret Kenyatta will preside over the opening ceremony from 7pm in the company of World Athletics President Seb Coe, among other guests.
The long wait is finally over.
Postponed for one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the opening ceremony of the 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships will take place Wednesday evening at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
It will be a great honour and privilege for First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta, who will for the second time preside over the opening ceremony of the second largest track and field event to be held on African soil.
The First Lady presided over the opening ceremony of the 2017 World Athletics Under-18 Championships that were held from July 12 to 16 at the same venue, with 60,000 spectators attending the last day.
Over 10,000 fans were turned away and World Athletics declared the event one of the most successful events in its age-group competitions.
The 2017 World Athletics Under-18 Championships was the last edition to be held for the age group, and it was subsequently done away with.
It was the first major world track and field event to be staged in Africa.
It’s from the huge success of the 2017 world youth event that World Athletics gave Kenya a chance to organise and stage the world junior competition this year. The championship will be held without fans, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, Africa has hosted four editions of the World Cross Country Championships - in 1996 (Stellenbosch, South Africa), 1998 (Marrakech, Morocco), 2007 (Mombasa, Kenya) and 2017 (Kampala, Uganda).
The First Lady will be accompanied by her guests, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, among other guestss at the ceremony that will start at 7pm.
Speeches will follow after the national anthem by Police Band and RedFourth Chorus.
First on the podium will be the Nairobi Governor, Anne Kananu followed by the World Athletics Under-20 Organising Committee chairman, Jack Tuwei and Coe.
The Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Amina Mohamed will then make her remarks before inviting the chief guest.
The official event Mascot, Jabari, will take to the field to get the show started with musical artist Nyashinski and his dance crew singing the championship’s theme song “Keep Jogging.”
Eight children selected from around the world will light “flame of youth” followed by the parade of countries that will be participating in the five-day event that starts officially Wednesday.
Athletics Heroes of Kenya, led by legendary Kipchoge Keino, will also be on parade with RedFourth Chorus choir entertaining those in attendance.
The Police Band will close with the national anthem with fireworks display ending the show.
Kenya will be represented at the global track and field championships by a team of 46 athletes who have been in a bio-secure training camp at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, for the past one month.
