Safaricom hands Kenyan Olympic team Sh20m boost

Safaricom has announced a Sh20 million sponsorship for the team that will represent Kenya at the Tokyo Olympics.

The funds have been set aside for the ceremonial kit that will be used by the Kenyan contingent at the games scheduled to kick off on July 23.

“As part of our passion for sports, we have always been at the forefront of supporting our athletes every time the Olympics games are held. Whether this is through supporting the Olympic trials, giving incentives to the medal winners or providing support to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

“This year in addition to ensuring they are well kitted we’ll be providing each team member airtime so that they can keep in touch with their family and friends back home,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO – Safaricom.

Each member of the travelling team will receive Sh10,000 worth of Safaricom airtime that they can use while in Tokyo.

“I thank Safaricom for their continued support and investment in sports and in our athletes. This is in line with our commitment as a Ministry to partner with the private sector to uplift the quality and standards of the sports industry in the country.

“We have put in place extensive measures to ensure that the athletes are well prepared for the Games in Tokyo. Despite the pandemic, our collaborative public-private partnership approach has provided much needed protective support to the entire sports ecosystem securing athlete welfare,” said Ambassador (Dr) Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage and Culture.

During the last Olympics in Rio, Kenya took a record 89 athletes in seven sports to the Games, winning their best medal haul to date with six gold, six silver and one bronze medal.

This year Kenya is expected to take over 80 athletes to the Olympics who will compete in Athletics, Boxing, Rugby Sevens, Taekwondo, Indoor Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.

The Olympic games were postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic that continues to disrupt events across the world.