Weekend Cocktail

Weekend Cocktail

This ought to be a great weekend for all you sporting enthusiasts. There is enough on offer to keep warm and cheerful in the house as this chilly weather continues in Nairobi. Let's see what's being served ;
Football:
The Copa America continues as the matches reach the quarter-final stages.
Saturday :
Venezuela v Uruguay and Chile v Brazil
Sunday: July 8, 2007
Mexico v Paraguay
Argentina v Peru
The Asian Cup which is being hosted by 4 countries,Indonesia,Thailand,Malaysia and Vietnam will start and continue for the next 23 days. This is a great frontier for the football game which has grown in leaps and bounds in the Asian sub-continent especially after hosting the 2002 World Cup. Japan will look to retain the Cup with Australia and South Korea all out to topple them.

Tennis:
The penultimate stages of the Wimbledon tourney with Finals being played. Venus Williams wants to show why she is still no push-over in women's tennis while battle for supremacy looks almost certain between Nadal and Federer for the men's game.

Motorsport:
The British Grand Prix is held at Silverstone with Lewis Hamilton shooting from the word go. The pole positions will be decided today with the race proper taking place on Sunday. Ferrari will try be hot on the heels for the 2nd victory this season over McLaren.

Cycling:
The most famous bicycle riding race in the world starts in London. Interesting since it's called Tour de France . But it traverses through more than one European country before the finish down the streets of Paris with a grand entry at the Champs Elysee. The race will hope to erase last year's link with drugs where the winner Landis ended up with links to drug usage. Another favourite Italian Danilo di Luca is under investigation while Ivan Basso was banned for 2 years. Michael Pettachi will be missing from this year's Tour too. New kids on the block will hope to get the yellow jersey which was Lance Armstrong's for the taking for 7 consecutive years 1999-2005.

Rugby:
Tri-Nations has Australia tackling South Africa as the teams get warmed up for the World Cup in September.

Cricket:
England plays West Indies.

Basketball:
Kenya Basketball continues with a few ties for Premier and Division One Leagues.

All Africa Games- Kenyan team handed flag

I am being patriotic here !Yesterday the Kenyan national team to the All-Africa Games received the flag from the Head of State at State House Nairobi.
With the Games starting next week on July 11th, there couldn't be a better motivation than to receive assurance from the highest office. The flag was handed to the team captain 400m athlete Ezra Sambu together with asst. captain, basketballer Angela Luchivya. They were accompanied by Team's Chef de Missio Nderitu Gikaria and Team Manager Eng.Maurice Aluanga.

The president assured the athletes that the Government would continue to support sports and expressed the Government’s wish to provide an avenue where those who had special talents in sports could pursue their career. He noted that the budget for the Games had increased from Sh40 million in 2004 to more than Sh150 million in 2007.
The athletes have been assured handsome rewards with gold medallists receiving KShs.300000 (Approx.US$4600),silver KShs.200000(US$3100)and bronze KShs.100000 (US$1500).
This is also the largest contigent sent abroad since the start of the Pan-African Games in 1965.
What more can I say ?
Kenya Hoiyeee !
For more details log on to www.nationaudio.com or www.eastandard.net

Cycling -Kenyan perspective

As the All Africa Games get underway later this month, I couldn’t help but seek other fringe disciplines to look out for, I have followed an interesting one here, cycling. I love cycling and any male guy ( oops let’s just say individuals !) who experiences riding a bicycle it’s one of the most relaxing and best ways of keeping fit in this crazy lifestyles of ours. China has their workforce going to work on bicycles to ease traffic and pollution in the urban centres.
Well, I have seen that the Kenyan team will consist of 3 individuals who will hope to represent the country on the road races in such of the elusive gold medals. A reasonable team and more able would be around 6-10 riders but again as I said in a blog below, they have all these cost-cutting measures.
I remember some Games they had been participating (Commonwealth or Olympics) where they were given the wrong bikes only for a well-wisher to come to their aid in the nick of time, while another incident had the brothers try to train on some highway only to be arrested by traffic cops on patrol!
But I couldn’t help but think, why can’t they recruit some of the boda boda riders from the Western region of this country? These our countrymen have enjoyed this as a source of livelihood and also an alternative form of transportation especially on the plains where it’s reasonably flat areas. I have also noticed the spill-over effect of these guys into other major towns such as Nakuru, Thika, Eldoret among others.
If we were serious about our sports, we could come up with a framework where can take up a sample size and put them into a training regimen to improve on their skills and also hone their talent. A provision of better training equipment and cycles would be in order too. It would be fair to say that most would be only too willing to jump onto those pedals. Let’s just say that they would be a thrill to watch once taken through such a scheme. Who knows we could be holding a great Greg Lemond or Lance Armstrong (both multiple Tour de France winners)
But then again I maybe just dreaming….!

Ethiopians show how it’s done

For a long time, the nemesis of Kenyan athletics has been at it more often than not proving us to be minions in the field. I always get amazed that over the last many years the Ethiopian team to such championships as Olympics , All Africa Games numbers less than 20 but when the medal haul is counted ( note the more the Gold medals the higher your position on the roll of winners), they end up having more than Kenyan athletes.
Well seek no more, starting today the Daily Nation will serialize the force behind the Ethiopians – The Untold Story. This is done by a seasoned hand in sports coverage in Kenya one Elias Makori.

You can access the story on www.nationaudio.com-sports(they start with a feature on Meseret Defar ). This will highlight among others on the Ethiopian legends, their training regimen, their way of living off the field, money making and the 2007/8 season

All Africa Games: Are we ready or not?

Ready or not! Here I come! You can’t hide! …..so goes the song by The Fugees (from a song by The Jackson 5).
Is the Kenyan team ready (or not)? I get dismayed when I start reading stuff like …players have not been paid allowances….players do not have adequate facilities to prepare…due to lack of funds we are scaling down the team ….and other such balderdash !
In a country where we have over 30 Ministers and their Assistants who have admitted to not having any work, where when a Government can afford to build a house for relation of a dead Government official costing into tens of millions, where some convoys have cars costing well over KShs.30 million but can ill-afford to prepare a team which will not only bring recognition to the country but will have free publicity and ambassadors across the continent.
It hurts me when I find us having misplaced priorities.
Let me digress briefly….it’s like when you find City Council repairing the pavements which have had gravel and are partially macademised but forget about a section of road that is a main artery of the city (Muranga and Thika Road) !
Back to where we ought to be! All-Africa Games!
The other day, hockey players staged a sit-in due to unpaid allowances along with lack of kits, equipment, proper preparations and medical attention. This is for both the men and women’s teams. My goodness these are the teams that represented Kenya in the 1987 All-Africa Games and came out with Gold (Men’s) while the ladies have represented Kenya severally in the continental scene. Yet we can only afford a measly KShs. 300 as allowance while we hope that by some miracle they will win something at the Algiers All-Africa Games …. *******?
The other day I happened to be at the venue (more like camp) where the Rowing team is going through its motions. I overheard a heated telephone conversation where one of the resident managers was raising concerns with the team officials in Nairobi for not visiting them to check on progress or even making sure all is well at the camp.
I also found out the Boxing contingent has been trimmed to 7 boxers to minimize expenses and concentrate on the few who have medal chances. This is the same or has similar scripts in other sports disciplines.
OK, the Minister in charge of Sport did threaten anyone who might be going on a joyride not to bother trying to, but who are we fooling? Between the officials and the players who does more joy-riding? I have never heard of an official complain of unpaid allowances, or being left at some dinghy hotel at the middle of the night due to some unsettled bills.
If we are to have any serious contenders for medals at Algiers later this month, then we need to put our act in order. Can the Chef de Missio and Manager find ways of raising funds and securing the support of the Government and private sector? Are there no plans made to accommodate and train athletes for such important events? Now & in future there needs to such arrangements made. Otherwise we might as well save face and send only three people to the Games but be sure they will at least come with something home!

Noble idea but is there hope?

For those who read the dailies and flip through the sports pages of the leading dailies, in the last 2 months, we have seen major companies in Kenya splashing over KShs. 30 million. This is to sponsor the secondary/high schools tournaments. This couldn’t have come at a better time. With the crop of the current national players and Premier League approaching their sunset years, it’s only logical that they have feeder programmes which will ensure that there is constant supply of new players.
Ideally Kenya should have an under 14, under 17, under 19 and the national team all with a wide base to choose from. As in other programmes and countries supported by FIFA (the Goal Project…see…) these teams should have their own camps, different training schedules , different managers and technical benches but under the same mandate which in our case would be KFF.
But alas, this is not to be. The last time I heard about the under 19 (or was it under 17?) was when they played some Ghanains in a friendly which they lost but not without raising concern about age-cheating by Ghana. I have said severally that talking about KFF officials is like finding fool’s gold! Bright in promise, but all a sham!
Referring to the commitments made by the corporations, I would state the following;
1.It would be in vain contributing money and funds to the development of youth at the early stages only for them to graduate to non-existent or under-funded teams. Measures should be put in place to finance existing and emerging teams to be able to provide continuity.
2.It is also important for the corporations to engage the KFF officials in making commitments that will bind them and be held accountable for the success/failure of the development of the leagues.
3.Commercialisation and development of such and related structures need be explored in the very near future if Kenyan football is to make sense. The time for institutional teams (some tribal if I maybe corrected) is almost over and without the numbers of the ardent fans and fan clubs, alternative sources of sustenance need be sort.
4.Issues relating to media presentation and appeal, stadia development, fan management and major sponsorship need be addressed. Some media houses would only be too willing to screen the games but not the mediocre games that have occasioned our stadiums.

With the World Cup coming to Africa for the first time (and maybe only time in the near future), let not Kenyan football be a shadow and be passed over by this lucrative opportunity. Can SOMEBODY hear me ****?

New Daily-Nairobi Star

As I type this, I have just perused the first copy of the latest daily to come out of our pulishers ( I understand this is done by Nation Printing). The paper -Nairobi Star- has the tag that 'Real Life stories everyday'. It will be an evening paper hoping to soothe the minds out of a long day and give some of us who love 'trans-nighting' something to chew on.
The paper is owned by Kiss FM (and Classic FM too) proprietor and frontman Patrick Quarco who said that, 'the paper will driven by the market'. Launched by the Minister of Information and Communications who said that , 'I am happy that this paper is being launched now, as it will encourage the reading culture among the young people', the paper will hope to cut its niche among other dailies more so the Daily Nation and East African Standard which have both existed for more than 40 years ( the latter more than 100).
I have some critique even before I have read all stories. Whoever gave the media the vibe of recycling reporters and article contributors I don't know. I have seen that two old hands in the industry will be making contributions to the paper. True their experience is worth having but again for how long can they contribute ? Again when a journalist is recycled for too long, they tend to loose their flavour and focus.
Of interest to me was the business and sports section. It's refreshing to have the paper commit 6 pages to sports coverage. The only problem is that it is not as incisive as promised.
Another good thing is that they have decided to focus on fringe sports like tennis, volleyball and others which may enjoy low coverage but can be enhanced. This might however overlooked once the mainstream sports return from their summer breaks in August and September in major leagues in Europe and US.
The other issue I have is that there is not enough local sports coverage. Make it interesting and captivating by having such sections as 'retro moments' or 'know your local sports hero'-(please pay if you decide to use your ideas!)
All the same, it's fair that they be given time to get their footing. I will not haze your judgement for the rest of the paper, I'll wish to reserve my comments for a later date.

NBA Drafts

Oh it's the time again to go harvesting and let's see who's basket is full and who has the tares and chaff while the others take the ripe fruit.
NBA Drafting time :
OK for the uninformed 'The Draft' is when the NBA teams which number thirty (30)recruit the raw talent from college basketball (US), and of late top European basketball leagues and Chinese too.
The 30 teams are divided into two conferences; Eastern and Western which are further divided into divisions; with
Atlantic,
Central and
SouthEast making the Eastern Conference while the
SouthWest,
NorthWest and
Pacific make the Western Conference. Each division has 5 teams.
Back to the NBA Draft, the recruitment follows a pattern where the lowly performing teams in the conferences are given the chance to take the pick of the best players from the talents described from leagues in US College, Americas,European and Asian basketball talents.
This year Portland, Seattle,Atlanta,Memphis and Boston got the chance to take their pick, and they did make it good.
The following is a list of the top 14 picks for the 2007-8 season;
1. Portland Trailblazers -- Greg Oden
2. Seattle Supersonics -- Kevin Durant
3. Atlanta Hawks -- Al Horford
4. Memphis Grizzlies -- Mike Conley Jr.
5. Seattle Supersonics -- Jeff Green
6. Milwaukee Bucks -- Yi Jianlian
7. Minnesota Timberwolves -- Corey Brewer
8. Golden State Warriors -- Brandan Wright
9. Chicago Bulls -- Joakim Noah
10. Sacramento Kings -- Spencer Hawes
11. Atlanta Hawks -- Acie Law
12. Philadelphia 76ers -- Thaddeus Young
13. New Orleans Hornets -- Julian Wright
14. Los Angeles Clippers -- Al Thornton

The interesting bit for me is that most of the picks will end up playing for more than 1-2 teams before really standing out on their own and even winning the NBA Play-off Championship ring. Already 10 players have been traded to other teams even before bouncing the ball ....see sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2007/index
The other bit is that enough of the guys are 'big men'-players playing in the center position,power and shooting forwards-well does this mean the game will in future be won in the paint ? All the same, it was a nice mix of Americans, Europeans(at least 15) and Asians(at least 5){ too bad Africans are only drafted by virtue of being naturalised Americans or otherwise EXCEPT for some Cameroonian ,Congo-formerly Zaire,Egypt & Central African drafted in 2005, can't we get our act together man ?}
Well for those interested check out the following link for more details
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2007/index

Copa America

Staying with things football, Copa America has been ongoing since last week Thursday and boy what a first 5 days it has been.
First almost all the heads of state did show up for the opening ceremony and showed their solidarity with those calling for the lifting of the FIFA ban of high altitude games. At least Pres.Morales seems to be making good progress...see previous post FIFA does have heart...
Day 1:
The underdogs seemed to have read from the same script and the favourites were in for a beating. First up was Peru waking up Uruguay with a 3-0 lashing. For those who watch football, Uruguay is the only other country outside of Brazil and Argentina that has won the World Cup. They are also regular favs in the Copa America, winning the title 14 times (last won in 1987). Venezuela and Bolivia played to an entertaining 2-2 draw.
Day 2:
. Upside down it ain't working still
As said the underdogs were not in a happy mood and Brazil knows why. Mexico did it with a 2-0 victory
The other game saw Chile come from behind to snatch victory over Ecuador in a enthralling 3-2 game.
Day 3:
This was goals galore day with a total of 10 goals scored in 2 games. Argentina -last tournament's finalists and 14 time winners showed why they are favourites to go the full hog with a 4-1 win over USA. No ill intentions but for the US to score one goal against Argentina and hope that they would hold till the end, sweet wishes ! Aimar, Tevez, Crespo showed you just why !
The other game was the one-sided Paraguay 5-0 over Colombia. Why oh why has such a team gone to the dogs ? Could it have some correlation to their other not-so-favoured reputation ? Or maybe it has clouded their heads and thus slow feet ....don't laugh !
Day 4:
This saw the first quarter finalists Venezuela seal a victory over Peru 2-0.It's only fair for the hosts to make a commendable appearance otherwise it would augur well to have them leave so early.
Robinho does it single-handedly
Brazil restored their respect with a hat-trick from Robinho getting it all 3-0 against Chile.
Day 5:
Mexico became the 2nd team to teem through to the quarters with 2-1 victory over Ecuador.

Methinks this is going to be some interesting tourney as all you football fans start looking forward to the 2007-8 season. As you can see, European scouts are teeming with pen and paper busy taking notes on potential talent ( as we type here, Man U has already gotten a signature from Anderson-Brazilian midfielder). There's also other managers busy checking out their new signings to see how they will hold up against worthy opponents. It's not lost to most observers that outside the World CUp this is the most attractive Continental tourney ( forget the European one,it's just they have strong leagues but when it comes to national teams, naaah they can't hold enough light to those in the Americas)
I would also hope the Organising Team for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa are there. They will learn a lesson or two especially on crowd management,security and also promoting the local and regional culture. It's of paramount importance that the guys in South Africa know some of these things man, the lesson from the WC will draw the future for countries hosting major tournaments especially those in the rest of Africa (with the exception of the North African ones-no offence my Arab brothers, it's just that we don't always seem to be on the same tournament at times-you always switch sides depending on which side of the bread is buttered !)

Keep watching though ...more exciting football is in store and SK will be there to update you on developments.

FIFA's resolves sponsorship issue

Even the high and might do get their strokes at times. FIFA has been having a few problems internally with one of its main sponsors MasterCard Visa. This follows MasterCard having sued FIFA in April 2006 after it awarded the coveted sponsorship for the next two World Cups to Visa. MasterCard claimed it had the right of first refusal on future sponsorship of the tournament, the world's most watched sports event.At the time of the settlement MasterCard said it decided to settle for business reasons and that it no longer wanted to work with FIFA.

Visa International has then reached a deal with to sponsor the 2010 and 2014 World Cup football tournaments.Visa said the 8-year deal with the sport's governing body FIFA allowed it access to competitions, special events and development programmes worldwide.The deal between Visa and FIFA follows a $90m settlement on June 21 of a legal battle between FIFA and Visa rival MasterCard, which had sponsored the tournament for 16 years.
I keep telling you guys, sports now is the next big thing. Look at the cut-throat competition that companies have to be identified with ONLY one sport ? As for FIFA, I don't know what to say...more $$$ more problems !

All Africa Games 2007: Updates

We all like it when there's something positive happening to our sportspeople. I find it interesting when major corporates fall over each trying to fight to sponsor this or that. At the end of the day though our sportsmen and women have to be paid their worth for bringing repute to this nation.
Three companies have already committed in cash or kind to help the All-African Games team to Algiers later next month. They include Sameer Africa which has donated balls worth KShs.30000 to the basketball team (& added KShs.1.5 million for Yana Women's Basketball team, KenChic which has contributed its products to help feed the team as they prepare and also Farmer's Choice which has ensured the sportsmen/women have their meaty breakfast (with sausages,bacon and other such products).
Word of caution though ! Well it maybe good contributing to the team while they prepare, let's ensure that we have annual and regular camps for our sports personalities where they can train as a team,meet and exchange ideas while they also work out modalities of rewarding accomplishments and ensuring future good performances.
Much appreciation though to all those supporting the team !

FIFA does have heart

I had reported sometime back about the proposed ban on FIFA sanctioned games at high altitude in parts of South America. This had caused even Heads of States of Bolivia,Colombia,Venezuela among others to come out opposing it.
FIFA Pres. Sepp Blatter acknowledged their pleas and is due to re-consider this. He hopes to raise the controversial altitude limit from 2500m to 3000m.
Interestingly one of its most vocal opposers Pres.Evo Morales convinced FIFA to allow games to be played at La Paz which is Bolivia's capital city 3600 metres a.s.l-(above sea level). He even had to visit FIFA offices in Zurich this week to be able to get audience with FIFA top officials.
I admire this guy's drive to rally opposition against this. As I said before let the game be played whether on the moon or underwater. Those restrictions will only interfere with what is the people's no.1 game choice.

Polo in Kenya : 100 years

One of the sports that enjoys a distinguished class and is played by an exclusive class marks its 100th year in Kenya. This is a game that is played on ponys and you and I know that these don't come by on a shilling or two. This is the game of POLO.
Polo is a team sport consisting of 4 players riding on a horse or pony or mount if you like.The 4 players have different objectives with the 1st player being more like a striker, with 2nd one being an offensive player too though he/she can break the opposing team's plays and the 3rd player is the pivot player hitting long balls and is the playmaker. The 4th player is the defensive shield and more like the goal tender.
The main objective is usually to score against the opposing team. The score is done by driving a white plastic ball into the opposing team’s goal using a long-handled mallet.
Goals are only valid if the scoring rider is mounted. Play is divided into seven-minute periods, called chukkers, with the game lasting 4-6 chukkers.
The game has its origins in parts of Asia near China and is currently spread and widley played in Asia,Arab world, South and Central America. The spread acroos Europe was enhanced by the wars and the ruling class of Kings, Sultans,Caliphs of Persia and parts of the Middle East played this alongside great warriors and riders.Countries such as Argentina, Mexico,Kuwait,Saudi Arabia have a host of clubs and tournaments attracting sizeable crowds.Africa also has its share with at least 43 clubs from the continent.

The game was introduced by the British in the early 1900s at Makuyu, near Thika,and is still popular in Nairobi with the elite of Nairobi and the surrounding environs, though a number of players own ranches in the Rift Valley and parts of the Central Province. The Nairobi Polo Club is located off Ngong Road, and has regular matches, often hosting international competitions with a number coming from Britain, Europe,India and parts of South America.The Club was opened in 1907 with its base being at the car park of the present day Grand Regency Hotel.
The Nairobi Polo Club has organised a tournament to mark its centenary in June . The tournament, expected to bring together teams from all polo clubs in the country, started last weekend, with the main highlight set for this weekend from today Thursday to Sunday at the Nairobi Polo Club. Most of you may have heard or seen a son of the former head of State in Kenya (who is also a sitting Member of Parliament).
East Africa Breweries (EABL) which has never disappointed in sports sponsorship over the years will be using this to target and reward its client base in a market which they largely enjoy a monopoly. White Cap, one of EABL’s oldest beer brands, has been the flagship sponsor of polo to the tune of Sh5 million over the past three years and they look forward to having the relationship in the future.
This will surely be a highlight for White Cap takers having to be associated with the " Sport of Kings ".Well for those who love horses and would hope to mingle with some of the creme de la creme of Kenyan high society pay a visit to Jamhuri Park today onto Sunday (though the weather may not be very kind given that the Sun is gone North!)
Points to Note:
- The game has players being rated in handicaps ranging between -2 to 10. This is based on the net worth of the team with such factors as the team play,horsemanship,hitting skills,anticipation and overall understanding of the game and its rules.
- Fans are usually notified that play of the game may extend beyond the field of play more often than not. Hence one should be alert to avoid being spunked with the polo ball or colliding with the ponies.
- Popular plays include; Near Backside shot,Near Side Backswing,Offside Forward Swing,The Throw In.

For more details read the Daily Nation 28th June or log on to www.nationaudio.com (sports news) OR check www.polonews.com/polo/kenya for more on Polo.

Wimbledon starts

One of the Grand Slam events in tennis is underway in the All England Club at Wimbledon.(Other Grand Slams are prestigious US Open, French Open and Australian Open. Coming from Paris, in the men's events the challenge will be to beat either Rafael Nadal-the clay court specialist or Roger Federer -grass court great and current no.1 in rankings. I maybe a bit sceptic but I don't see a repeat of the Final that was in the Roland Garros-Paris. One of the two top seeds will be upset at the quarters or semis.
As for the ladies, Amelie Mauresmo the reigning champ, Maria Sharapova- a former champ , Jelena Jankovic the 3rd seed and rank outsider Serena Williams will make it interesting in the ladies' court.
As usual there will be the over-hyped Britons and disappointment when they fail to perform, strange happenings at the courts- like the nude guys who keep running onto Centre court on a dare, but hope not the scary threats of a deranged fan trying to snatch a racket or something from the players.
Yes, there will be the ooohs and aaahs from the crowds as the players wow them with the back-hand, slices and powerful serves some reaching at least 200mph. There is also the royalty who come to mingle with the 'commoners'-ouch ! Loads of strawberries and juice to be taken for the fans.
More interesting facts:
Attendance figures two years ago totaled 467,191, including a whopping 42,228 on Thursday of the second week. In 2001, a record 490,081 people attended Wimbledon. Last year, 447,126 people entered the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon.
Total prize money was increased by 8.7%, with both the men and women receiving the same amounts.
Roger Federer moved up in class last year, as he became just the seventh player in history to win the coveted Wimbledon championship four straight years. After winning the first two sets, 6-0, 7-6, against second-seeded Rafael Nadal, Federer lost the third set in a tiebreak, but rebounded to win in four, outlasting the Spaniard 6-3 in the final set. (Source: The Sports Network)

Check out the top 10 rankings & money leaders as they go into the Wimbledon Open;
1 Federer,Roger/SUI 7290
2 Nadal,Rafael/ESP 5225
3 Roddick,Andy/USA 3055
4 Davydenko,Nikolay/RUS 3040
5 Djokovic,Novak/SRB 3010
6 Gonzalez,Fernando/CHI 2780
7 Robredo,Tommy/ESP 2200
8 Murray,Andy/GBR 2085
9 Blake,James/USA 2075
10 Haas,Tommy/GER 1960

1. Nadal, Rafael $3,328,082
2. Federer, Roger 2,644,270
3. Djokovic, Novak 1,544,680
4. Gonzalez, Fernando 906,019
5. Davydenko, Nikolay 863,526
6. Ljubicic, Ivan 709,720
7. Roddick, Andy 708,986
8. Youzhny, Mikhail 682,119
9. Canas, Guillermo 652,590
10. Haas, Tommy 595,155
For more updates check out www.wimbledon.com

Kenya's team to All-Africa Games gets revving

With the 9th All-Africa Games scheduled to start in Algiers, Algeria in the next one month, the preparations are well underway to ensure that the team gets all the support it needs.
It's been interesting to visit a couple of teams and see the preparations and I can say there is a departure from the past where the respective disciplines would have their camps late into the programme and have lack of quorum for the same. Back then, there would be bickering and disgruntled sportsmen and women lamenting about non-payment of this or that allowance.
This year, most disciplines have had ample time to prepare and the coaches have been committed to the cause and offered technical advice. The Government has also ensured that most of the teams in residential camps have most of what they need to train and prepare for the Games.
In this respect, I have witnessed a few of the camps such as baskeball(women),handball, rowing ( did you know we had that in Kenya ?) and athletics. If the athletes gave their all and stuck to a common goal, I believe we can improve on the medal haul from the last Games.
Yesterday the Ministry of Gender Services & Sports led by the Minister himself, stated that this time there is a reward system in place for medallists from the Games. Gold medallist will get KShs.300000 (approx US$4400),silver KShs.(US$2900)and bronze KShs.100000(US$1470). This is commendable since in the past the Government has only committed fund to such initiatives after the Games are over. In addition to this, commendation will be given to athletes who are outstanding in their performance. This may include the Head's of State Commendation(HSC), recognition at the local levels of the respective athletes' places of origin.
The Government has also funded the team with KShs.130 million (US$1.9 million) towards preparations for the Games. This is in addition to support from various private companies such as Farmers' Choice which has supplied the teams with sausages and meat products, Dasani(Coca-Cola Kenya) which has supplied mineral and drinking water among others. This is surely positive and a trend that ought to be maintained.
Along with preparations, the team will undergo drug tests to avoid embarrassing moments like the debacle at the Athens Olympic Games when one of Kenya's boxer's had to be sent home for failing a drug test. The team will also have a nutritionist to advice on the best diet to have before and during the Games.
I would say it is a step in the right direction but that should not mean it's enough. More corporate organisations need support individual disciplines during the preparations and also offer incentives for good performers. There should also be systems in place to ensure that athletes have a strict training and feeding regime making it possible to take fit athletes to the Games.
Training camps for the various disciplines should also be more professionally run and maintained annually to churn out sports men and women. Academies and clubs are mre like it here.
The performance of the team in the All-Africa Games should set the pace for what to expect in next year's Beijing Olympic Games. As such all the attention to detail and winning should be put and emphasised if Kenya is to remain a powerhouse in sports now and in the coming future.