Kenya is ready to host the 2022 Africa Universities Games planned for June 6-10 at Kenyatta University.
Kenya Universities Sports Federation (KUSF) secretary-general Joseph Sandagi said hosting the African games was a big step towards supporting talents and marketing the country’s sporting prowess to international teams.
The multi-discipline event, organised by the Federation of African Sports Universities (FASU), is expected to attract over 4,000 athletes from universities around the continent. The competition was earlier scheduled for 2020 but was postponed to this year due to the Covid-19 situation.
The games program will feature athletics, badminton, basketball, football, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, and handball. Other disciplines include chess, swimming, taekwondo, karate, woodball, roll ball, goalball, and sitting volleyball.
The event will also feature Gurasumo, a Borana traditional game, for demonstration purposes. The games will be used to qualify for the 2023 FISU University World Cup Soccer for both men and women in Jinjiang, China.
Meanwhile, Zetech University and Kenyatta University teams excelled in this year’s edition of the KUSF Games held at the Taita Taveta University over the weekend.
Zetech’s women's football and basketball teams emerged winners in the championship. Zetech edged out Kenyatta University women by a solitary goal in the football final to claim the trophy, while their basketball team defeated Strathmore 50-21 to settle for the crown. In men’s football, Kenyatta University beat Kisii University 1-0 in the final. Winners will now represent Kenya in the 2022 Africa Universities Games.
An elated Zetech basketball head coach Maurice Obolo said his teams had displayed exemplary performance, noting that they were happy to make their debut in the continental championship.
“We have never participated in the continental games and we are excited. Our teams are not just going to participate but to compete,” Obilo said, further promising to claim victory in the African Games.
He said the continental championship will also serve as exposure for his team. He challenged the government to invest in secondary school and university players in a bid to mentor them and include them in national teams.