Shujaa gets the action rolling for Team Kenya in Paris

Kenya Sevens' Olympic challenge could not have faced a harder challenge as they face World Rugby Sevens series champions Argentina in their opening Pool “B” match of the rugby event at Stade de France Wednesday.

Shujaa will be the first Team Kenya outfit to take the stage at the 2024 Olympics before swimmer Ridhwani Abubakar and fencing queen Alexandra Ndolo compete on Saturday. 

The Shujaa versus Pumas match gets underway at 5pm Kenyan time. Shujaa will next face another heavyweight Australia at 8pm.

Kenya wrap up their pool outing against Samoa on Thursday from 3pm.

Shujaa, freshly promoted to the elite World Rugby Sevens Series, must finish in the top-two positions to guarantee qualification to the quarter-finals. The two third-placed best teams will also earn a ticket to the quarter-finals.

The rugby competition involves 12 nations divided into three pools of four teams each.

Pool “A” has the 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medallist New Zealand, 2016 bronze medallists South Africa, Ireland and Japan while Pool “C” contains two-time defending champions Fiji, France, United States of America and Uruguay.

Kenya finished 11th at 2016 Rio Games when rugby sevens made a return to the Olympics after 92 years. Shujaa improved to finish ninth at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

Two-week training

The history of rugby at the Olympic Games stretches back to Paris 1900 when the Game first appeared played in the 15--said format.
It long version was contested again at the 1908, 1920 and 1924 Olympics before being dropped.

In October, 2009, the 121st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session of 90 members in Copenhagen, Denmark, voted to introduce the sevens version of the sport at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

During the session, former Kenya Sevens star Humphrey Kayange was among the few rugby personalities that World Rugby selected as ambassadors to campaign for the game’s return to the Olympic family.

Shujaa trained for two-week in Miramas, south of France before travelling to Paris last week. 

“The first week, we focused on the physical part of the game and I really pushed the boys to get acclimatised. We needed to adapt to these hot conditions,” said head coach Kelvin “Bling” Wambua.

“We cleaned up our attack and defence skills,” explained Wambua.

Herman Humwa, who is the only other surviving member from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team besides co-captain Vincent Onyala said that they have worked on defence and kick-offs with Argentina and Australia in mind.

Kabras Sugar’s Kevin Wekesa and Samuel Asati of KCB, who are primed to make their Olympic debuts, want to give a good account in Paris.

“We had a new and young team at the Africa Cup in September with the likes of Patrick Odongo and Nygel Amaitsa barely 19,” said Wekesa.

Asati said that the mood in Paris is now completely different since the team is more cohesive, confident, and solid, itching to perform.