Sports tourism very much alive and Kenya can make a killing

I’m glad to report that there is one sport heading in the right direction when it comes to organisation of events.

Motocross will be held at Jamhuri Park tomorrow, and they’ve hired a company that specialises in entertainment to take care of that section whilst the East Africa Motorsports Club (EAMSC) concentrates with the action on the track.

This will make the whole day a family affair as there will be bouncing castles, paint balling, a deejay and food stalls amongst other entertainment to keep young and old busy while the riders clash on the track.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again, sports administrators need to concentrate on sport and leave the entertainment to the experts. This is a very specialised and important field that needs to be taken seriously for Kenya to host truly world-class events.

Countries like South Africa have realised the value of sports tourism, and this has resulted in millions of visitors travelling to either participate or spectate in the multitude of sporting events.

Kenya’s government must wake up and see the invaluable marketing of the country from our sportsmen and women who are attracting more positive news to their homeland than any expo or politician.

On a very good note, Uasin Gishu and surrounding counties have realised the potential of sport to bring in revenue thanks to the majority of Kenya’s world beating athletes hailing from the area.

The millions of shillings being pumped in to either renovate, upgrade or build new facilities is bearing fruit as the national athletics championships will most likely be held outside of Nairobi for the first time next month at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium.

The venue has got a new tartan track that successfully hosted Athletics Kenya Eldoret Weekend meet. The sport’s local governing body is convinced that Eldoret is ready to host national meets.

In fact, the first two weekends of next month will be a busy time for the town, as the KCB Kenya National Rally Championship will be held on July 4 and 5 and will be followed by the national athletics championships a week later. The county will be reaping the economic benefits of sports tourism for weeks to come following the two events.

Back to motorsports and why did the Kenya Motorsports Federation schedule motocross and autocross on the same day for the second time in a row? This doesn’t do either sport any good as both need all the help they can get in regards to entries, spectators and sponsors.

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What is it with football authorities and their unique abilities to drag the beautiful game deeper into the gutter?

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) appears to not care what state the sport is in as long as they’re in power. While the world governing body Fifa stumbles from one scandal to another, the local body is following suit as it’s now being alleged that the FKF is now short of funds and cannot deliver on its many obligations.

From national goalkeeper Arnold Origi remaining in Denmark due to the incompetence of the federation, to captain Victor Wanyama being owed money for air tickets for international assignments, I wonder what the Southampton superstar makes of the dismal state of our local game.

How much lower can local football sink? On the evidence of the last few months it seems that there is no limit. From AFC Leopards’ big shame of players being evicted from their residences, to Gor Mahia asking the Deputy President William Ruto to pay for their air tickets to travel to Kisumu for a Kenya Premier League match, it’s one embarrassment after another and the Kenyan public is fed up.

The investigations into Fifa’s scandals should spill over to the FKF, as the local body has been hiding under the cover of the former for far too long and has been behaving with impunity.

Unless there is an urgent intervention then we will witness the permanent demise of this once glorious sport in Kenya.

It appears that everybody is now in elections mode ahead of the FKF presidential polls. Watch this space.

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Kenya rugby fans will once again be very busy today following the national 15s teams as they play in two different international tournaments both here and Zimbabwe.

In Harare, the Kenya Simbas will be looking to beat the hosts and rise further up from their current 29th in the World Rugby rankings, while at the RFUEA ground the ‘A’ national team will be in the mother of all grudge matches against perennial on-pitch enemy Uganda in the first leg of the Elgon Cup.

That match will kick off at 4pm, while the women will start proceedings against their Ugandan counterparts at 2pm.

The depth of the sport in the country can be credited to the spread of the game around the counties.

With a multitude of problems surrounding football, rugby has the potential to become the country’s number one team sport. It’s up to the Kenya Rugby Union to put its problems behind them and continue to woo the sponsors back. With the rise of Kenya Simbas in the rankings and the national sevens team on the verge of qualifying for next year’s Rio Olympic Games these are exciting times for rugby. Let’s hope that all works out at the board and the sponsors return en masse.

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Tomorrow will feature a unique tournament called ‘The Last Male Standing Cricket Day’ at the Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy.

This competition will feature the famous Maasai Cricket Warriors, along with the Australian High Commission, BATUK (British Army) and the Obuya Academy in a tournament that is raising money for the last male Northern White Rhino still alive, along with the two female Northern White Rhinos, 23 Southern White Rhinos and 105 Black Rhinos at the conservancy.

Today the Australian high Commission will open a sports and community centre at Il Polei, Laikipia, and that will be followed by the cricket tournament the next day. For more information and if you want to contribute to this crucial campaign, please visit: www.gofundme.com/olpejeta