Kenya is one of the founding nations of the East African Community and sports have been part of the nation’s culture since its prehistory.
Sports is a way for the Kenyan to reconnect with their past and is also a means to get international acknowledgement.Some of the traditional sports in Kenya include wrestling, racing, hunting and even board games. Football is the most popular sport in Kenya but their national football team has not made that much of an impact in the international stage. Some of the other popular sports in Kenya include basketball, volleyball, rugby union, swimming, baseball and softball.
With all of the sport played in Kenya, one in particular has put the country’s name on the map and that is athletics, track and field to be specific. There are a lot of Kenyans who have made a name for themselves such as David Rudisha, a World Record Holder for 800m and is one of the most dominant world champions. Kenya has racked up an impressive medal count in the Olympic Games thanks to its runners like Pamela Jalimo and Samuel Wanjiru.
Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (born 10 January 1994) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner specializing in 1500 meters. A 2016 Rio Olympic and 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion with the Games record at the latter, she is the second woman in history to claim back-to-back Olympic 1500m titles. Kipyegon has won or finished second in every major championship since age 20 in 2014 and is regarded as the greatest female 1500 metres runner in history
Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly competed at the 5000-meter distance. He is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion and holds the world record in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39 set at the 2018 Berlin Marathon
Sports
The Safari Rally, formerly known as the East African Coronation Safari was first held from May 27th to June 1st, 1953 in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1960, it was renamed to East African Safari Rally and retained the name until 1974 when it became the Safari Rally and was widely associated with Kenya.
The Safari Rally is widely regarded by many rally navigators as the most popular African rally and was set to return to the World Rally Championships in 2020 after an 18-year break. However, the event was cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and was rescheduled to make a return in the sixth round of the 2021 World Rally Championship.
The return of the Safari Rally has helped a great deal in pushing Kenya as a Sports, Tourism, Trade, and Investment destination.
