Mombasa has thrown down gauntlet, other cities should now take up the challenge

Last weekend’s Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya) ceremony at Fort Jesus, Mombasa, was a major hit. Top draw.
The Mombasa County Government pulled off yet another commendable act in hosting and contributing towards the event’s sponsorship, drawing in huge numbers from upcountry for the annual gala.
Ivorian sprinter Marie-Josee Ta Lou’s presence as a special guest also added to the pomp and pageantry.

Awards founder Paul Tergat deserves a pat on his back for seamlessly running the annual ritual for 15 years now together with the team at his private concern, Finetouch Communications Limited, led by Simon Chebon and Kaplich Barsito.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho pledged to host the gala for at least three years running, meaning that the stage is set to award this year’s top achievers once again at the pristine coastal beaches.

Certainly, Joho has noted the importance of such events in boosting his county’s economy, with the thousands of guests assembling at the coast helping to boost Mombasa’s economy.

It’s an important opportunity to showcase the county’s offerings and attract repeat visitors.
In fact, impressed at the Mombasa hospitality, Ta Lou has already confirmed she will be back to the coast on holiday with her family to spend more time touring at the end of the 2019 track and field season.

It is equally good to see Athletics Kenya organize this year’s National Cross Country Championships at the Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County, a departure from the traditional Nairobi venue.

Uasin Gishu County did a fabulous job in holding the 2016 track and field Olympic trials which saw the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret packed to the rafters on all competition days.

It would be good to now see county governments bid to host such events and grab the monopoly from Nairobi.

First, this would inject good revenues into the economies of host county governments, and it will also help spread sports throughout the country and help inspire millions more.

Just as is the case in global sport where cities bid to host major international championships, such as the Olympic Games or Commonwealth Games, organisers of various sports events, including the Soya awards, should open bids from county governments.

This would also help build venue capacity in these counties besides developing infrastructure, inspiring locals to embrace sports and ensuring relevant infrastructure and funding are in place.

It will also give the rather moribund sports dockets in these county government some teeth and something to keep them on their toes.
Meanwhile, kudos to all the winners of the weekend’s Soya gala, and special congratulations to the greatest marathoner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge, for deservedly clinching the overall Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Kipchoge epitomizes the true professional, meticulous in all he does with results there for all to see, and his longevity testimony to the importance of discipline and consistency.

I thought I should share Kipchoge’s word of advice he has to the young and upcoming athletics stars, a perspective he shared as we chatted on the fringes of Friday’s gala and which should be applicable to all professionals: “My advice to the young ones is that, first, they should respect themselves, second, they should treat athletics as a career.
“He or she should know who he or she is, and what he or she wants in this world. If you can define yourself like that, then you can go far. Above all, when you win a race, that’s enough. You look for another one. If one successful race sticks in your mind, you cannot go anywhere.
“It’s like having gone to class and you keep talking about the fact that you got a first class honours all the time. It’s better to say I’ve done 10 degrees and I got first class honours in all of them. Or that I’ve done a Masters and I got a distinction. Or I completed a PhD but I was successful in an exemplary way.
“Immediately you get a first class honours in, say, Medicine, forget it! Go to the next step and start another one.
“It’s the same for the marathon. If you won the Boston Marathon in 2019, immediately you cross the finish line, 2019 is over and you will never go back there again in your life!
“Simply get into the next season and move on! But if it sticks in your mind, then you are mark-timing because your mind is backward.”
Sage advice from the world marathon record holder who will most certainly draw more admiration as he tackles the 2019 season, probably kicking off at the London Marathon in April and then probably making an attempt at the IAAF World Championships in Doha in October. All the best to our gallant sportsmen and women in the 2019 season!