We need to venture into the unexploited extreme sports

Greetings from Hillcrest School off Langata Road, the venue of the Extreme Expo. This the second event organised by Julie Wahome, whose passion is outdoor adventure.

The expo is showcasing the best of what Kenya has to offer for the extreme sports enthusiast, from white water rafting to skydiving and paragliding.

Kenya is blessed with one of the most diverse climates in the world, from the snow on Mount Kenya to coastal beaches, although this niche market is sadly underutilised by our tourism authorities.

Countries like New Zealand and South Africa heavily market adventure sports tourism, and it’s high time we went down this route as we have reached a plateau with the traditional markets of beach and wildlife holidays.

Hiking, mountain bike tours and bungee jumping are great examples of bringing in much-needed foreign exchange, and the Government must take sports marketing more seriously, as countries like South Africa have really taken advantage of this side of tourism through events like the football and cricket World Cups. One factor that must be taken seriously is the organisation of sports events. As I have witnessed over the last two years since I returned to the country, there’s still a long way to go for the country to reach the standards of truly world-class events.

For example the organisers of the Safari Rally must outsource the entertainment side of the event to a company that specialises in this sector, as this has become a vital part of the competition.

When you look at Formula One for example, the concerts and village are as important as the on the track action, with parties and expos running before and after the race. The general standards of our sporting infrastructures leaves a lot to be desired, and this once again takes us back to the officials running our sporting organisations. These officials need to get in shape or hand over the reigns to those who have genuine concerns to raise the standard of sports infrastructure in Kenya.

Back to the Extreme Expo, motorsports personalities Ian Duncan and TejasHirani are attending today’s event. Speaking of Hirani, he’s trying to raise money to race in the RX Lites World Series Rally Cross. He’s got three rounds booked so far (Norway, Sweden and Spain this summer) and would appreciate your support.

Please check his Facebook page, ‘TejasHirani Racing’ to see how you can contribute by M-Pesa. This incredible teenager has just won the Formula Gulf series in Dubai, and is well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming Kenya’s first Formula one driver, so let’s get behind him.

GOR A CLASS APART

I’m happy to tell you that football continues to generate more positive news on the pitch rather than off it. Last weekend’s Kenyan Premier League Mashameji Derby lived up to expectations with a huge turn out at the Nyayo Stadium. Gor Mahia had slightly more fans and the game definitely lived up to the hype ending in a 1-1 draw.

There was the Zdravko Logarusic factor hanging over the match, as this was the first time a former Gor coach had led AFC Leopards during the derby; and the K’Ogalo fans were very friendly to him, still seeing him as one of their own. If Ingwe can resolve their financial problems than they have a very good coach to lead the side to glory. Following the game, the consensus was that it was a point gained for Leopards and 2 points lost for Gor as the latter lost their 100 percent record in the league.

Gor are in a class of their own in the KPL. Both them and Leopards won their midweek games. Gor are now focusing on the KPL after going out of the African Champions League and the three players who couldn’t play in the continental competition are really proving to be an asset to the club. Other players are also coming to the fray like top scorer Ali Abondo, while striking sensation Michael Olunga is banging in the goals. Olunga could be the next Victor Wanyama and there are a lot of scouts watching him.

K’Ogalo also got good news last week when Liberian defender Dirkir Glay got his work permit and he was immediately slotted into the first team. Goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch has been outstanding, and pundits have beenwondering why Tusker let him go. He is slowly regaining the form that saw him ranked as Kenya’s number one a few years ago. As for the other teams, Thika United are continuing their good form under English coach Tim Bryett and if they continue this way than they might be considered a team that could challenge for a top 3 position.

After an awful start, Sofapaka have started their revival and should begin to climb up the table over the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Western Stima continue to stay amongst the pace setters, especially after beating Sony in their own backyard.

Sony are also showing good form together with Bandari and Ulinzi are proving to be a formidable force under Robert Matano after dismissing Muhoroni 3-0 on Thursday. The biggest disappointment of the season so far is Tusker.

This is a team that on paper has everything: resources, facilities and the best talent in the country. However, it’s all going wrong for coach Francis Kimanzi who’s now gone three matches without a win, the latest being a shock 1-0 loss at home to Bandari.

This could put pressure on Kimanzi’s tenure. Unless he starts winning, he’s in danger of ruling out Tusker from league contention early in the season, and if he doesn’t improve the form of the team than he could have the dubious distinction of being the first coach to lose his job.

Kimanzi is one of the top three qualified coaches in the country, yet under him Tusker have become too predictable and easy to read, and suffer from having too many ex-Mathare players in their squad. The team is looking more like a Mathare squad than a Tusker team.

BED OF ROSES OR THORNS?

So far it all seems rosy between the KPL and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), but there’s been a silent war raging in the background. This has comes about because of a contentious attendance list allegedly released by the FKF stating that at the January 30 Annual General Meeting all KPL clubs attended the function with signatures.

The truth of the matter is that only one KPL club attended that meeting, and since then that club has come to the fold very fast stating they only went thereas an observer. This resulted in a harsh exchange of letters between KPL CEO Jack Oguda and FKF CEO Michael Esakwa on the matter.

One only hopes that this current trend of events will not upset the fragile truce between the FKF and KPL as they continue with their forced marriage to allow for harmony in Kenya football.