SPECIAL Olympics Kenya (SOK) board secretary Dennis Ndambo is confident the national floorball will secure a large medal haul at the Special Olympics Winter Games in Turin, Italy, set for March 7-16.
Established in 1978, SOK is part of the global movement that supports athletes with intellectual disabilities across 190 countries.
The organisation provides year-round training and competition opportunities, fostering inclusion and excellence.
Floorball, a fast-paced indoor sport originating from Sweden in the 1970s, is played with lightweight plastic sticks and a ball.
In the Special Olympics format, teams compete in a 3v3 setup on a smaller 20m x 12m court, emphasising speed, skill and teamwork.
Despite sending a smaller contingent, Ndambo believes Kenya will return home with a significant medal haul.
“Our most successful campaign was during the 2023 Berlin Special Olympic Games, where our contingent came back with a large number of gold medals.”
“We believe as we go for the winter games, the team will come back with an even larger haul of medals. The team is small but we hope they will be able to do much better,” Ndambo said.
At the 2023 Special Olympics in Berlin, Kenya sent 76 athletes who won the country 25 medals (15 gold, four silver and six bronze). Kenya’s journey to the Winter Games began in January 2024 with regional tournaments, culminating in national trials in August at the University of Nairobi.
“The road to this year’s games started in January 2024 when the various teams across the country started their regional competition before culminating in the nationals in August in Nairobi.”
