Diversify sports offering - Daily Nation

Some 2,000 participants are expected for the inaugural Mount Kenya Mountain Running 12km Championships this morning in Meru County. Kenya has in the past hosted major sporting events, but the excitement this unique race has attracted speaks volumes about new adventures.

The local athletics scene has always been synonymous with cross country, track and field, and road running events but not mountain running. In fact, few people know that Kenya has produced a world champion in mountain running – Lucy Murigi, who won the women’s races in 2017 and 2018 in Italy and Andorra respectively. The interest created by the Mount Kenya Mountain Running 12km Championships is a clear indication of why we need to diversify to other sports.

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games beckoning, Kenya has always depended on athletics for medals, with boxing being the only other contributor. The last time boxing earned medals was during the 1988 Seoul Games. The country needs to think big and explore other fields for medals at major events such as the Olympics. Not only will the Meru event unearth athletics talent but also raise close to Sh50 million to help combat cancer and enhance environmental conservation.

While we congratulate Meru County Governor Kiraitu Murungi and the organisers for the initiative, we hope that the funds raised will go to the intended purpose. Many a time, companies and individuals have used sports to raise funds for certain causes. However, most of the funds raised go into people’s pockets. We hope that won’t happen in Meru as we take this opportunity to wish participants best of luck. Other counties should come up with similar events to promote sports and support noble initiatives.