Team Kenya hits camp for 2021 Deaflympics
Members of the Deaflympics team follow proceedings during a training on media relations at Stadion Hotel Nairobi on April 7, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The provisional team, which comprises athletes, footballers, basketballers, handballers and golfers, has been in camp at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi since Monday.
The government Thursday urged Team Kenya for the delayed 2021 Deaflympics to use well their time in camp, so that they "conquer the world" in the Games programmed for May 1 to 15 in Caxias Do Sul in Brasil.
The provisional team, which comprises athletes, footballers, basketballers, handballers and golfers, has been in camp at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi since Monday.
In a bid to prepare the athletes for media interviews during the championship expected to be graced by teams from over 100 countries, they were taken through media relations session by editors from leading media houses in the country.
The session was attended by Josephta Mukobe, Principal Secretary for Culture and Heritage and Josephine Onunga, the Secretary Administration in the same docket.
They urged the athletes to remain focused on perfecting their skills in camp by putting into good use the facilities at MISC, so that they shine in Brazil. "...So you should take your training seriously so that we (Kenyans) are not embarrassed at the end of the day. We want to be proud of you for winning medals," said Mukobe.
Onunga stated:"Those of us who want to go to Brazil and come back with a medal, use this opportunity. Use the facilities that are here, engage effectively during this time on your core business (representing Kenya in Brazil). We have to make sure that we practice and practice, so that we win in every competition."
With Kenya being the African champions in athletics and handball, Onunga told the athletes that they they will also be representing the continent in the Games, thus the need to work hard in training.
"We are also going to Brazil to represent Africa. Let us show the world that we can do better, what other continents can do...We want to celebrate you and lay the red carpet for you when you jet back with medals," she said.
Kenya first took part in the Summer Deaflympics in 1997 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Since then, Kenya has bagged a total of 38 medals; 12 gold, 10 silver, 16 bronze. Kenya was ranked ninth overall out of 97 nations in the last edition held in Samsun, Turkey.
Team Kenya for the Games in Brazil will train for 23 days before a squad of 136 athletes are selected to fly the country's flag in the competition.
In men’s handball, Kenya 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. The women’s football competition has also attracted only five teams - Brazil, Kenya, Japan, United States and champions Denmark.
They will also be played in a round robin format. During the media relations session, the athletes were taken through how to interact with the press.
On Friday, the teams will be taken through a mental health awareness session at the same venue by experts from the Chiromo Hospital Group. Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed Wednesday said the session had been motivated by the widespread mental illness within the athletics fraternity.
