SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE 2008 NATIONAL ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS AT NYAYO NATIONAL STADIUM, NAIROBI ON 28TH JUNE, 2008

Fellow Kenyans,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to join you this afternoon for this year’s National Athletics Championships. This year has seen some exciting moments in Athletics as our sportsmen and women continue to shine in various parts of the world. Early this year, our athletes performed very well at the sixteenth Africa Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was a clear demonstration that this country has a large reservoir of sports talent. Not only were new champions discovered, but new events emerged, where we obtained medals, especially in the field events. I would like to commend our athletes for their hard work and devotion to sports. I know that you often train under very difficult circumstances. I want to assure you all that my Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports will give you all the necessary support. Indeed, this is also the reason why I decided to come to the National Athletics Championships today. The Championships bring together athletes from all corners of our country, both old and new. As a result, and as often happens on occasions such as these, new champions will be discovered as old records are broken. I have no doubt that the determination of these sportsmen and women will enable us to qualify more athletes for this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

My Government has over the years accorded special attention to the welfare of our youth and the development of sports in the country for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Sports is important in enabling our young people to discover their natural abilities. In doing so, they receive the benefit of a healthy life, both physically and mentally. I would like to encourage young people to take up sports at an early age. This will not only help them to make new friends, and develop better interpersonal relations, but through sports you can become more creative and learn new skills that will enable you to face the challenges of life more effectively. For this reason, the government is actively supporting sports activities in schools. And during the next financial year, we are providing one million shillings per constituency to support the participation of our youth in football training and competition at the constituency level. I urge those who will be charged with the responsibility of managing these resources to do so honestly and transparently for the benefit of the youth.

Moreover, sports activities play an important role in rallying our people in support of the national team. This was clearly evident during the recent football matches where our national soccer team, Harambee Stars, took on Guinea and Zimbabwe. I would like to urge Kenyans to continue with this patriotic spirit. Above all, the sports industry has become a major source of employment. Indeed, as I have observed in the past, many young people both here in the country and elsewhere in the world are earning good incomes through their participation in competitive sports. I note with appreciation the commendable support the Ministry of Youth and Sports is giving to our national teams which has no doubt contributed to the improved performance. In addition, our sportsmen and women have over the years served as effective ambassadors of our country. In every city across the world, they have won marathons bringing great publicity to Kenya. This has in turn encouraged people to visit our country as tourists.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As most of you are aware, the Beijing Olympic Games have attracted the biggest number of countries in the history of the Games. Our team should therefore be well prepared to compete effectively and overcome any challenge. Every effort should be made to ensure that the training and selection of the athletes that will represent our country at the Olympics meet the highest standards. In this respect, I am pleased to see that Athletics Kenya set up a camp for long distance runners in Eldoret, and another one for sprinters in Nairobi long before the scheduled residential training for the Olympics team. I believe that this investment in training will pay off and Kenya will be rewarded with more medals during the Olympic Games. On its part, my Government has provided more than One hundred million shillings to assist in the preparations for both the Olympics and Paralympics Games.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge all lovers of sport and well-wishers to contribute generously in support of these teams. I also want to thank the Management of New Kenya Cooperative Creameries for supporting Athletics. Their contribution of ten million shillings has gone a long way towards the success of this event. Indeed, New KCC took over the official sponsorship of track and field activities of Athletics Kenya only last year. This support is helping to nurture our athletics talent, while also providing an opportunity for our athletes and their fans across the country to share in this moment of glory. I commend the Board and Management of new KCC for the bold step they have taken of initiating social responsibility as a means of supporting national development. As you are aware, this public company has come a long way and is an example of the vibrant and self-sustaining role the co-operative sector is playing in the economy.

In conclusion, I wish to thank all those who have played a role in ensuring the success of these championships. I reiterate my Government’s support to sports and look forward to hearing more success stories from our various sports disciplines.

I thank you all and wish you God’s blessings.