Why the success of our athletes is our success

Beatrice Chebet has worked hard for this moment: winning a gold medal, adorned in the famous Kenyan black, red and green. Beatrice was pursuing her childhood dream when she was crowned the world cross country junior champion in the Under 20 years  5,000 meters race.

In total, Kenya grabbed 19 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze medals in the four days of the African Under 20 championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Athletics Kenya (AK), the governing body for the sport, lists dozens of male and female champions in outdoor and indoor track and field events – mainly long and middle distance running.

While our runners predominantly originate from counties such as Keiyo Marakwet and Nandi, we must remember that talents are born everywhere. Neither Kenyan blood nor Kalenjin blood is more red than that of other human beings and the Lord doesn’t offer his grace only to people of a particular tribe or nation: “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” ; Matthew 5:43-48.

For sure, there are genetic traits that make so many of our brothers and sisters win medals. They also have the advantage of training in Kenya’s high altitudes areas where oxygen levels are low, which gives them a huge advantage when racing at a lower altitude as most competitions are.

But had achievements in sports been exclusively attributable to biological and geographical conditions, the IAAF World Championships in Athletics would never have allowed people of all ethnic and national backgrounds to compete in any single competition. It is clear that there are other factors at play, which ensure the fairness of international sports.

First, there is the mental factor: the motivation and determination of the athlete. He or she cannot break physical records without a profound mental commitment.

This spiritual traits of our supreme athletes are cultivated in their homes and in their communities and churches.

Just as important, however, are the social conditions of our athletes. Without an investment on the national level, even the best genes, the ideal topography, and most dedicated mind might lose out. That is true for all sports.

Take the tiny country of Iceland, for example. It has only 350,000 inhabitants, giving it a similar population to Kibera in Nairobi. Nevertheless, this tiny population didn’t prevent Iceland from qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in 2018, even topping its qualifying group for the first time.

Icelandic genes, topography and society hasn’t changed radically in recent years, so we must ask ourselves what did?

One team

The answer is that almost 20 years ago, the government decided to invest millions in building all-weather (and often indoor) football fields and training hundreds of youth coaches, enabling every boy and girl to play and receive a good level of coaching.

After all, no one is born a champion - you grow up to be one. That happens, in part, thanks to government investments.

It’s easy to forget it when a medal is awarded to just one team or athlete, but in Kenya too, runners wouldn’t go very far without governmental organisations like the Armed Forces, Kenya Prisons or the Police.

We complain about our government, but let us not forget the resources that it has put into sports. Let’s appreciate the diligent planning that ensures the success of our athletes and teams, despite the fierce competition from governments such as Iceland. For once, government doesn’t take our sportspersons for granted, and we shouldn’t trivialise the hard work it does to enable their success.

Medals won

It’s not done only for national pride. Indeed, investments in sports lower alcohol abuse, smoking, and crime. They also help turn Kenyan society more cohesive and cooperative and replace tribal tensions with tolerance and respect. Accordingly, 30 per cent of the national budget goes to education, along with an unwavering commitment to nurture our sporting culture with the required facilities and training programmes.

We get excited when our athletes break records. That is for a good reason. It is not only because they are Kenyan, but also because we are partners in their success - quite literally - through our taxes. At least 44 medals won by our youth in Abidjan last week demonstrate the fruits of our country’s investments. We can and we should feel proud.

Ms Munuhe studies International Relations at the University of Nairobi