President Uhuru Kenyatta flags off Deaflympics team

President Uhuru Kenyatta Tuesday flagged off Team Kenya for the 24th Summer Deaflympics planned for May 1 to 15 in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil.

Kenya will field athletes in five disciplines namely; athletics (men and women), football (women), basketball (men and women), handball (men and women) and golf (men).

The first batch of the 136 participants will jet out of the country on Thursday, with the last team leaving on Saturday.

During the fag off ceremony held at State House in Nairobi, President Kenyatta challenged the team, which is the highest that the country has ever taken to the competition, to improve on their 2017 performance in Samsun, Turkey.

The Head of State also urged the athletes to emulate Kenya’s middle and long distance runners, who have over the years dominated both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“You have displayed that disability is not inability. I am so proud of you and your officials for preparing you well for the Deaflympics in Brazil and therefore I want to wish you well in the competition,” said President Kenyatta.

Kenya bagged a total of 16 medals (five gold, five silver and six bronze) in Turkey.

Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Amina Mohamed said with the team having had proper preparations in camp and being the highest delegation ever the country has taken to the championships, they expect an improved performance.

“This time we are sending a bigger delegation compared to the last edition in 2017. Now we have an addition of women’s football, as well as handball men and women, so we expect to come back with more medals,” said CS Amina.

“Besides the usual training for the competition, the team has also undergone sensitisation on anti-doping regulations, mental health and media relations. We are therefore confident of posting great results that will cement our place in the world charts as a hub for talent,” she added.

The athletes have been in camp since April 1 at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi.

At State House, the male athletes wore white shirts with beaded cuffs, while their female counterparts were dressed in red dresses complete with beaded statement neck pieces representing Kenya’s rich culture.

Football will kick-off the championships on April 30, before they start proper the following day.

The women’s football will be played in a round robin format, with hosts Brazil, champions Denmark, Japan and US being the teams Kenya will clash with.

In the men’s handball, Kenya, who are the Africa champions, are in pool A alongside hosts Brazil, world powerhouse Germany, Serbia and Cameroon.

Group B comprises Turkey, Denmark, Croatia, Venezuela and Colombia. In the women’s event, only five countries namely Brazil, Kenya, Turkey, Argentina and Denmark will take part.

The women’s matches will be played in a round robin format.

In women’s basketball, Kenya are in pool B alongside the United States, Turkey, Lithuania and Ukraine.

Group A comprises hosts Brazil, Greece, Italy and Poland. The national men’s basketball team are in Group A alongside Israel, United States, Argentina and Poland. Group B has Lithuania, hosts Brazil, Greece, Venezuela, Chinese Taipei and Ukraine.