Dismal showing at Paris Games is a wake-up call for all Kenyans

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon celebrates winning the women's 1500m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 10, 2024. [AFP]

As the 2024 Olympic Games draw to a close in Paris, I join fellow Kenyans in passing hearty congratulations to Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet who won gold in both the 10,000m and 5,000m.

Her spectacular performance stands in stark contrast to Kenya’s overall disappointing performance this year. As a veteran sports administrator who rose from grassroots roles to executive positions, including serving as the CEO of the successful 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, I’ve observed our nation’s seemingly declining sporting prowess with great concern.

Since Naftali Temu’s groundbreaking gold in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Kenya has amassed more than 35 Olympic gold medals, establishing a legacy of athletic excellence. Yet, our performance has noticeably waned since 2012, pointing to systemic issues that need urgent attention.

Kenyans fondly remember the days when we dominated events like the 3,000 metres steeplechase so much so that we didn’t lose for decades. Iconic athletes like Ezekiel Kemboi who just missed a medal in Paris Olympics occupied our collective psyche.

Indeed, at every edition of whatever competition, Kenya seemed to mint new champions even before older compatriots could fade away.

So what is responsible for our tumbling fortunes? For starters, management, both at the national level and of respective athletes.

The management of our athletes appears to lack strategic focus on long-term development, leading to burnout and underperformance when it matters most. Athletes are frequently overextended by the sheer number of races organised by their managers in the lead-up to major competitions, diminishing their peak performance capabilities.

This issue is further compounded by insufficient investment in sports infrastructure, particularly in disciplines outside our traditional stronghold of long-distance running.

We’re underutilising diverse talents, such as the archery skills of the Maasai or the aquatic abilities of our coastal communities. The decline in community sports facilities, such as those in Muthurwa and Makongeni, which previously served as nurseries for talent like boxing, highlights a broader issue of under-investment in grassroots sports development.

Each of the country’s 47 counties must invest in elaborate community sporting facilities that will incubate our country’s immeasurable talent. This responsibility lies in the hands of the national and county governments. They must all rise to the occasion and stop finger pointing.

I therefore believe newly-appointed Sports Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, has a unique opportunity to lift Kenya’s sports back to its glory days. For this to happen, he should spearhead an ambitious national Marshall Plan that will among other things, involve holistic athlete development programmes, investment in state-of-the-art facilities that cater to a wider range of disciplines beyond our traditional fortes, and the revamping old facilities and building that have since fallen into disuse.

The new roadmap would also involve a robust, inclusive scouting system that reaches deep into schools and local communities. This system would tap into the diverse cultural skills our country harbours, ensuring no potential talent goes unnoticed.

Collaboration between the government, private sector stakeholders, and sports organisations will also be crucial in providing necessary funding and creating a policy framework that supports these initiatives.

Further, it should concern us that an increasing number of Kenyan-born athletes are winning choice medals for other countries, while Kenya’s medal count diminishes. While we cannot begrudge these great athletes for pursuing better opportunities abroad, the trend should be a wake-up call. It is indeed the clearest sign that our system has failed these highly-talented Kenyans, forcing them to look elsewhere.

As we stand at this crossroads, we must remember that nothing whatsoever has ever matched the power of athletics to bring us together as a nation. Not even the most popular politician evokes the sense of pride that comes when our athletes, resplendent in our national colours take their place in the hallowed podiums and the sound of the Kenyan national anthem reverberates across the world. We must never lose that, ever. Think green, act green!