Judo boss Maluki to lead Team Kenya at 2024 Olympics

Kenya Judo Federation (KJF) president Shadrack Maluki has been appointed the Chef de Mission for Team Kenya to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Maluki, who is also the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) first deputy president, was unveiled by the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba at his Maktaba Kuu office in Nairobi on Monday.

Maluki, the Africa Judo Federation chairman, is part of the lead team of four people that will join the Team Kenya Steering Committee for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Namwamba, who was accompanied by NOC-K president Paul Tergat and NOC-K secretary general Francis Mutuku, named former international tennis player Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani as the games’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mbugua-Karani is also the Tennis Kenya secretary general.

Also joining the lead team is Athletics Kenya (AK) deputy treasurer, Dimi Kisalu, who will be the General Team Manager (GTM), while the Chief Medical Officer is James Ondiege.

“Kenya’s road to Paris 2024 has hit the superhighway and I want to thank Tergat and his team for accelerating the preparations for the games,” said Namwamba, adding that other members of the lead team and those in the Steering Committee will be made public soon.

Namwamba told Maluki's team to focus on quality delivery.  

“We are taking our preparations seriously hence we want more athletes and teams making it to the Paris Games than ever before,” said Namwamba, who called on NOC-K and federations to focus on preparations and selection that will produce deserving qualifiers and good teams.  

Tergat said that they will target to qualify more teams and athletes after Kenya was represented by 87 athletes in six sports that included three team sports at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kenya, which collected 10 medals all from athletics, four gold, four silver and two bronze, were also represented in beach volleyball, boxing, sevens rugby, swimming and taekwondo.

Kenya had four teams in three team sports; Kenya Shujaa and Kenya Lionesses in sevens rugby, national women’s volleyball team and women’s beach volleyball team.

Tergat said the budget for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be known in the coming months after knowing the qualifications status.

"We have named this lead team early enough so that we can focus on preparing more athletes and teams to qualify," said Tergat.

Mutuku explained that it is the qualification path that will enable them to get athletes to make it.

"Qualification for almost everyone has started and the peak period is between now and March next year,"said Mutuku, adding that they will know how many team sports will have qualified by December this year.

Mutuku said the cut off in most disciplines will be March next year, except for athletics that will be in June next year.