The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) will partner with athletics training camp owners across the country to promote their facilities to international athletes and sports enthusiasts.
Speaking after the inaugural Kapsabet Half Marathon, KTB CEO June Chepkemei said Kenya's rising status as an athletics powerhouse continues to attract international athletes to train alongside Kenyans.
She added that KTB will continue to position the country as a home of champions. "We have witnessed several international visitors getting to scout for talents in athletics by enrolling for training either for physical health or competition purposes. This presents an opportunity for us to seize and make Kenya a premier training destination in athletics," said Chepkemei.
The CEO challenged camp owners, particularly in the Rift Valley region as well as parts of Central and Ukambani, to upgrade their camps to meet international standards to enhance the experience for trainees.
Chepkemei further said with Kenya's reputation for producing excellent marathoners, KTB aims to collaborate with organisers of the country's major annual marathons like the Standard Chartered and Eldoret City among others to attract international participants.
"As a destination known for its marathoners, we have a great opportunity to work with partners in pitching some of our marathons to enlist international participants from across the globe as we cement our position as a home of champions,” she added.
She said sports and tourism make a perfect combination, and emphasised that KTB will develop packages that highlight attractions near regions hosting internationally renowned sporting events.
The high-altitude training camps scattered across the Rift Valley regions have long served as incubators for Kenyan running talent.
Renowned training camps such as Iten, Kaptagat, and Kapsabet have attracted athletes from both local and international scenes with interested runners eager to learn and tap into the secrets of Kenyan success in the sport.
The combination of high elevation, motivation of training groups and guidance of experienced coaches has consistently moulded world-beaters.
Many top marathoners and Olympians over the years honed their craft at these remote camps, where a culture of excellence and communal support propels them to push their limits.
