Paul Tergat nominated to head National Olympic Committee-Kenya...Good Choice

Having served to the mandatory age of 70 years, Kipchoge Keino is calling it a day at the helm of the  National Olympic Committee of Kenya. He held office since 2000 after taking over from then beleaugered Charles Mukora who had resigned after the Salt Lake City games debacle that rocked the IOC. In the 12 years at helm, Mr. Kip Keino has managed the best and one of the worst of performances by a Kenyan team in country's Olympic history. The most recent bad performance in London is one sticking point.
The speed-cop has also managed to keep steady the NOC-K but being a semi-independent sports body from the local national sports federations and associations, it has not been an easy task. His regular spats with the one of the most powerful sports association Athletics Kenya for example is another of the unforgiving jobs he had to do while as NOC-K Chair.
We shall not enumerate his major undertakings as Chair or shortcomings for now. That's for another day/post. We wish him well as he takes up his position as honorary member of the IOC.

Paul Tergat  - image courtesy of www.runblogrun.com

In comes Paul Tergat. Now if ever there was an athlete who would rival Kipchoge Keino in terms of both national and international appeal, it is Paul Kibii Tergat. He has been on the running circuit until injury and loss of form made him leave the tracks and roads last year. His 5 consecutive titles on the world cross-country circuits, half-marathon and marathon races as well as his memorable but disappointing 2nd place finishes at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics to another athletics legend Haile Gebreselassie.
Beyond his running exploits he has set up the Paul Tergat Foundation and also set up a private sports marketing firm, FineTouch Communications which handles the SOYA (Sports Personality Of the Year Awards) - an event used to honour Kenyan sports men and women who have excelled within a certain calendar year as well as honour those teams and past heroes too. He has also been serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for WFP- World Food Programme.
And though his sports organisations management may be in doubt, he has cultivated a relationship of mutual respect and honesty with Kenyan corporate firms and sports bodies - a rare feat for many sports people both active and retired. He has also been known to be a consensus builder and has business acumen which he will need to muster to run the NOC-K which still needs regular funding to meet its obligations.
As a former Olympian he did manage to embody the spirit of sportsmanship by not only losing gracefully two times to the same athlete but also cultivating a healthy relationship with his nemesis Gebreselassie. The two took battle from the cross-country tracks to the race tracks in the 10,000m to half-marathons and full marathons. They even broke world records in the marathon between themselves before Kenya's Patrick Makau took the course record in Berlin last year.
We do applaud him on his nomination and do hope the IOC picks him to represent Kenya in the greater Olympics body. It should also be noted that other Kenyan sporting bodies should take the lead of the NOC-K to nominate, vet and elect officials who's track record speaks for itself. Too many charlatans in town are costing Kenyan sport as great fortune and goodwill from their international peers.
Godspeed though to the "Gentleman''  !
  

SOYA Awards - Safaricom keeps their promise...

The Kenyan sporting scene is not always the easiest to navigate and as sports people we can assure you it also not the easiest to sell to Kenyan corporate firms. But once again Paul Tergat has managed to pull the strings and wow Safaricom and get overall sponsorship for the annual Kenyan sports awards scheme, SOYA.

You can view some of the action from the SOYA Awards 2009 here;

Having filled in a vacuum left out (as usual by the public sector Government ), these awards have become a permanent feature in Kenya's sporting scene. As a celebration of Kenya's sporting exploits across the world, it has sought to inspire young talent to engage in sport as well as showcase and appreciate our own - with some token ( money & trophies in this case).

We shall update on the date (likely to be in December 2010) and also cover it as we always do. See more media reports, here and here too.

2-0-1-0

Don't you like the way this year just rolls out the tongue? Methinks we are upto something good (unless of course we keep seeing headlines like what the funny Kenyan MPs may receive if the recommendations go through).
Sporting activities and opportunities are already in the pipeline and of course have the big one in June-July. Kenya shall also host a few events and though we might not reap as much boon from the World Cup and its crumbs, we shall feature prominently as is the case in the rugby 7s, swimming, continental club football (that's if we can move beyond the 1st & 2nd round to Africa Club Champions League proper) among others.
We shall hope to give you the best of our insights and keep you posted on the whys and wherefores of some of the happenings. Watch out too for live coverage (unless technical issues challenge us like it happened last year during the SOYA Awards at KICC).

Great year , shouldn't it be ?

SOYA Awards - SportsKenya Take !

With less than 24hr to go for this year's Sports personality Of the Year Award (SOYA) about to take place at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), we have come up with our list of winners ( nothing scientific there...), let's see how this compares with tomorrow's winners, at least in the top categories.
Starting with
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Benjamin Ayimba - Kenya Rugby 7s coach - without a doubt, this man has managed to put Kenya firmly among the top 6 in the IRB Sevens Circuit and even came within touching distance of the Rugby World Cup 7s in Dubai.Formerly a 7s player, he has led from the front and taken the brunt when the team doesn't perform as witnessed in 2008 when the 2008/9 IRB Circuit started with dismal performances. Sofapaka's Robert Matano would come a close second, playing the Premier League in the first season and winning it, special!

OUTSTANDING SPORTS ASSOCIATION/FEDERATION:
It might be controversial but I go with the Kenya Rugby Football Union. Reasons being, they managed to stage the Junior World Rugby tournament, supported the Olympic bid for having the 7s game included as a Olympics in 2016 in Brazil (which sailed through), securing new (and loaded)sponsorship for the Safari Sevens tournament and 7s team too. The 15-a-side maybe their Achilles heel, but for the 7s, give it to them, they have put a fair show.

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR:
World champion , Linet Masai takes the cake here. She managed to upstage the Ethiopians and ran such a tactical race that we had not given her a chance to win it. ensured that the Kenyan women maintained the tempo and brought the country at least 2 more gold medals just like their male counterparts.

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR:
Rugby comes through for the 3rd time and this time it's the star of the year Collins Injera. Finishing as top scorer in the IRB Sevens circuit in the 2008/9 season and losing out narrowly in the IRB Sevens Player of the Year award shows the pedigree this gent has.He was hinted to have gotten prospects of playing professional games in France and South Africa but I guess he's decided to hack it out in the local scene. He has managed to secure endorsement from top mobile firm Nokia and boy do the ladies love this guy, check his Facebook fan-page.



SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR (WOMEN):
It's a tricky one, but I'd put money on the Kenya Commercial Bank women's club at the front. This is after the team lost out to eventual winners Al Ahly of Egypt but upset the form book to displace Kenya Pipeline and Prisons clubs at the pecking order of volleyball in Kenya.

SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR (MEN):
This squarely lays with Sofapaka football team. The 7s team may claim a right as well as the athletics team but Sofapaka beats them all since they ultimately won the Kenya Premier League - football - in their first outing. Given the chaotic football scene, coming up with a team and managing to give established teams with sizeable fan-bases; Sofapaka kept their cool. They play in next year's African Champions League with money in the bank.

Those are but our thoughts. Nominations were handed in and let's see who takes what home, the winners of the Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year take a prize money tag of KSh. 150,000. Who's in and who's not? See you tomorrow at KICC!

KPL Football Awards - Why the Rush ?

I'm wondering why these Kenya Premier League guys had to hold their awards ceremony rather hurriedly. With SOYA Awards coming up on Friday and CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup about to end, I thought they'd work with the CECAFA Secretariat and have joint ceremonies.
Our Kenyan managers badly need some professionalism inculcated and maybe just maybe, we might count a few more lucky turns in the next few years. Again, just my thoughts !

Sports Personality of the Year 2009 for 2009

Kenya's premiere award gala event will this year hope to reward the outstanding sports personalities before the end of the year. This is a positive move after the previous events tended to spill into the new year making it difficult to keep track of performances.
It is also a step in the right direction since it will ensure that sports people give their level best as they seek nomination for the awards. Quite a number of the sporting disciplines have their events calendars marked alongside that of the calendar year.
Main sponsors -Safaricom-will continue sponsoring the event this time pledging at least Kshs. 7 m. This is enhancing its commitment to the development of local sports and sports events.
Kudos to Paul Tergat in line with making a worthy contribution to the sports scene while still active. A popular figure both locally and internationally, he has the unofficial tag of 'Kenya's sports ambassador'. His outfit which manages the event, FineTouch Communications will ensure the event runs smoothly as it did this year. Can't wait to be part of the event!

Sports Personalities of the Year Awards- Gala Night

The biggest sports event (outside the fields and tracks) was the gala night hosted by the FineTouch Communications -sports marketing organization -Paul Tergat's brainchild which has managed the event since inception.
The event attracted the biggest gathering of sports personalities from across the spectrum. From the rich and famous (sportsmen in Kenya do easily fall into that category) to the retired and flourishing. Kipchoge Keino, John Velzian, Francis Kimanzi, Bob Munro, Injera brothers, Jacob Mulee, William Sigei, Martin Keino, Elenah Shiveka, Richard Omwela, David Makali, German ambassador,Samuel Poghisio are but some of the names on the roll who I managed to mingle with.
MCs for the night were Robert Soi-sports editor KTN and Torome Tirike-sports editor Citizen. I thought there was some imbalance since both were men though the former was in the night's dress code-tie and black suit while Torome was in dressed as a Maasai moran. A lady would have made more sense and balanced out the equation-Everlyn Watta-Nation Media Group or even Citizen's Jasmine Martin maybe.
Good:
- the turnout by most sports associations/federations, officials and personalities was impressive. Its the only forum they meet outside their respective competitive disciplines.
- media stations were also well -represented and with KBC covering the event live ( for once there were no hitches from their broadcast-though I'm made to understand they had contracted a media practitioner to provide clips which were used intermittently in the event). They may have hogged most the roles like MCs and judges but that's fair enough for now.
- Sponsors came in a bigger way than last year (even as most companies keep making excuses about the economic state). Safaricom, KBC, Brand Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Services, Nokia Siemens, Multi-Choice, Postal Corporation of Kenya, Nairobi Bottlers (Coca-Cola) and Sarova Hotels were the toast of town on the night. Gina Din Communications (they always get the big jobs...huh ?) were the PR managers for the day.
- Sarakasi dancers had an interesting dance representing the different disciplines and they gave a good intro to the event. Their performance using ‘Chariots of Fire’ –theme song for 1984 Olympic Games –Los Angeles was a great theme for the night.
- Time-keeping. I have attended Kenyan events and this one was quite on point with the day's roster. Everything ran like clockwork. Even with the catering, this distracts most people, impressive! I made 2 trips to the desert table-I digress.
-security was tight and no losses were reported or ugly incidences as happens at some sporting events in the country.
-Govt representatives- led by the VP the GoK has come to acknowledge the need to support sports and sports men. Figures indicate a kitty of KShs.100m has so far been presented as prize money by the Government. Money well spent methinks

Bad:
- A media friend was almost missing out on the event after missing out on the invitations list. Thanks to a staffer from FineTouch Communications who ironed out the issue.
- some of the music played for the night was not authentic (reflective of Kenyan musical prowess). There was a sense of repetition especially while doing the presentations. The bands can work on that.
- cameramen- they almost held some athletes ransom demanding shots at awkward positions. The frequent guidance from Robert Soi made sure they didn't interfere with the day's proceedings.
- Samuel Wanjiru’s gaffe when he couldn’t remember the ex-VP’s name. The athlete though was proud of the efforts made in recognizing Kenyan sportsmen and asked for more patriotism- let’s not wait for Obama who made his way up.
-Kenyan football officials- Harambee Stars was presented with the Team of the Year- 1st Runner-Up. None of the feuding factions could legitimately collect the trophy prompting Soi to ask Francis Kimanzi to collect with the crowd applauding him for the achievements. (I’d spotted Mr. Nyamweya-KFF but he was a tad bit late).

Ugly:
-nothing out of this world happened, crowning a great night for the sporting fraternity in Kenya.
WINNERS:
1. Sports Personality of the Year –Male- Samuel Wanjiru-athletics
2. Sports Personality of the Year- Female- Pamela Jelimo- athletics
3. Sports Team of the Year- Female- Prisons volleyball team
4. Sports Team of the Year -Male- Rugby Sevens team
5. Sports Federation/Association of the Year- Kenya Rugby Football Union
6. Coach of the Year- Julius Kirwa
7. Most Promising Sports person- female- Achieng Ajulu- swimming
8. Most Promising Sports person- male- Josphat Bett-athletics
9. Special Category:
Most outstanding sports person-male- Henry K. Kirwa- athletics(paralympian)
Most outstanding sports person-female- Mary Namuwinja-athletics(paralympian)
10. Community Hero- Juma Abdalla Kent-basketball
11. Hall of Famer:- Jonathan Niva- football

Sportskenya goes live at the Sports Personality of theYear Awards

This annual landmark sports event is about to go down and Sportskenya will be covering this event live. As we speak, security has been tightened around the venue, thanks to the presence of Government officials (the VP will be gracing the event on the President's behalf.
Each year it been growing in leaps and bounds. One letdown though is the absence of the invited guest, one Maria Mutola from Mozambique. We'll give your snippets of the event as we go on.....

SOYA Awaits

Next year's Sportsman Of the Year Awards (SOYA) will be staged early next year, this time hoping no interruptions disrupt the proceedings. Set for January 23rd, the 2008 awards will be awash with the best of 2008 which was by many sports enthusiasts, one of the best seasons for Kenyan sport.
Not just for the traditional athletics, but also rugby, swimming and football. The different interested parties in the sporting arena also raised their tempo with major corporates adding more beef to the stew. The Government's support has been there for all to see but this can be improved and spread to non-traditional sports.
Next year will be another season that Kenyan sports practitioners will need to raise their game as the 2010 World Cup approaches. Kenya will also host a major athletic meet in the early months of 2010 thus the need for proper investment towards the same.
Foundations will be set for 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Olympics.
The SOYA present a momentous occasion when we celebrate Kenyan sports and sports personalities. This time, the guest of honour is expected to be the Maputo Express -Mozambiquan Maria Mutola- former 800m world and African champion and also the first lady to be given such an honour to grace the occasion. Much work done by FineTouch Communications-Paul Tergat's brainchild and Safaricom which has continued to support the awards for the last 5 years.
This year's panellists include sports journalists led by James Wokabi-98.4 Capital FM sports editor and Adam magazine contributor, Finny Muyeshi of The Athlete magazine, Torome Tirike-Royal Media & Citizen sports editor to name but a few.
For more details, check here and vote here.