Early planning for Paris 2024 Olympics key in increasing Kenya’s medal prospects

National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President Paul Tergat (left) welcomes Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba (second left) to a strategy meeting for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Nakuru on May 25, 2023 accompanied by NOC-K Secretary General Francis Mutuku (right) and Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei (second right).


Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • The CS’s announcement that Kenya’s sports partnership with Cuba has been revived and yielded month-long, pre-Olympics training camps in Havana for our volleyballers, sprinters and boxers couldn’t have come at a better time as this arrangement will properly compliment Team Kenya’s pre-Games camps in Miramas, France.

On June 9, Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be chasing Kenya’s Daniel Komen’s world record in the rarely-run two-mile race at the Charlety Stadium during the Paris Diamond League meeting.

The Norwegian Olympic 1,500 metres champion and World Athletics Championships’ 5,000 metres gold medallist will be aiming to eclipse Komen’s seven minutes, 58.61 seconds over the 3,218 metres that make up the two-mile distance.

Already, Ingebrigtsen is being touted as the runaway favourite to successfully defend his Olympic title next year and his brilliant victory in the metric mile at last Sunday’s Rabat Diamond League leg bore testimony to this.

He coasted to victory in three minutes, 32.59 seconds to finish half a second ahead of fast-rising American Yared Nuguse and Aussie Olli Hoare.

The “Viking” could double, if the Paris Olympic programme allows, and fight with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei for the 5,000m title.

With no Kenyan having won the men’s 10,000m Olympic title since Naftali Temu bagged the country’s only gold ever in Mexico ’68, and with our last Olympic victory in the men’s 5,000m coming way back in Seoul ’88 through five-time world cross country champion John Ngugi, there is every reason to worry about what awaits us in distance running in Paris next year.

And as though Ingebrigtsen’s imperious form in middle distance running isn’t a strong enough warning, the steady rise of the Ugandan legion coupled with Ethiopia’s consistent production line of stars should certainly dim our prospects.

And then there’s the form of Moroccan steeplechase spoilsport Soufiane El Bakkali who clocked a personal best 7:56.68 on home soil at Sunday’s Rabat meeting, the eighth-fastest all-time, having at one point been dangerously inside world record schedule.

Elsewhere, our women volleyballers always wilt on the Olympic stage while the men’s sevens rugby free-fall has knocked us out of the potential medals in Paris, as our timid boxers continue to struggle since the introduction of the automated scoring system.

In a nutshell, disaster awaits Team Kenya in Paris on all fronts unless water-tight preparations are launched immediately to not only focus on an improved medal count next year, but also — more realistically — set the stage for a solid outing at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles and 2032 edition in Brisbane.

That’s why last weekend’s high-level strategic meeting organised in Nakuru by the Ministry of Sports, Youth and the Arts in conjunction with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) was of huge importance.

With Paris 2024 just over a year away, Kenya’s journey to the Olympic Games should avoid the usual, serial sorry tales of joyriders from the executive and legislature gatecrashing the Games Village and athletes lamenting over lethargic build-ups to the action.

Gladly, such tales seem to be slowly fading away, especially since the current NOC-K team led by athletics legend Paul Tergat assumed office.

Key takeaways from the Nakuru workshop included the need to immediately gazette the Team Kenya’s Olympic Steering and Central Management Committees along with the early cementing of team sponsorship programmes and finalising of travel arrangements.

Meanwhile, the fight against doping once again comes to the fore and the world will be watching as our athletes go through the stringent pre-Games testing protocols.

We must train hard, run clean and win easy!

At the Nakuru meeting, NOC-K secretary general Francis Mutuku correctly pointed out the need to critically look at the Olympic qualification pathways to ensure qualification of more athletes, with a projection of a 100-strong Team Kenya, up from the 87 in Tokyo two years back where we bagged four gold, as many silver and two bronze medals — all from athletics.

NOC-K President Tergat couldn’t have put it any better in Nakuru: “The Olympics are not just a competition. They are a reflection of our nation’s pride, resilience, and sporting heritage,” he said.

“As we embark on the road to Paris 2024, let us stand united in our commitment to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of victory.

“Let us invest in our athletes, both financially and through comprehensive training programmes. Let us create an environment that fosters their growth and nurtures their talents. Let us embrace the principles of early preparation, meticulous planning, and unwavering support knowing that these are the hallmarks of success.”

It was reassuring to see Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba sit through the Nakuru forum, taking notes and staying on the same page as the NOC-K officials, federation heads and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya team in attendance.

The ball is squarely in Namwamba’s court to ensure early response to Team Kenya’s budgetary requirements and flawless government support for the team’s preparations.

The CS’s announcement that Kenya’s sports partnership with Cuba has been revived and yielded month-long, pre-Olympics training camps in Havana for our volleyballers, sprinters and boxers couldn’t have come at a better time as this arrangement will properly compliment Team Kenya’s pre-Games camps in Miramas, France.

Let’s not repeat the same pre-Olympics routine every four years and expect different results!

Makori is the Lead Editor – Sports and Integration projects at Nation Media Group. [email protected]