THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF SPORTS IN KENYA

The History and Evolution of Sports in Kenya

The History and Evolution of Sports in Kenya

Introduction

This paper gives information about Kenya sports - football, long-distance running, and sports options for tourists such as hiking, diving, deep-sea fishing as well as dhow sailing. South Africans, like Americans, enjoy sports. South Africa's national sport is rugby. Other popular sports are cricket, association football (soccer), tennis and golf. Colored athletes (nonwhites) favor association football and track as well as field. Some blacks have become world champions in long distance running. Before the 1970's, all sports in South Africa were segregated. In the 1980's, the laws changed to allow all races to compete in the same sporting events (Raum, 2005).

Discussion

Although it is illegal, segregation still exists in private sports clubs. When you mention sports and Kenya, the large number of world class distance runners immediately comes to mind. Kenyans have traditionally performed well in international track competitions (Allen, 2004).

Football (soccer) is played throughout the country from small villages to large cities. Tourists have a choice of sporting activities ranging from hiking to golf. Hiking is popular in the mountain regions, with guided tours available. Walking safaris offer a change from the usual game drive. Because of the potential dangers of walking in some backcountry areas, don't try this without a guide. Golf is popular in the Nairobi area, with six 18 hole courses (Raum, 2005). Other courses are located in the Rift Valley and Central Highlands. In the coastal areas fishing is very popular. Deep sea sport fishing season runs from August to May, with assisted day trips for hire. Qualified divers can enjoy the reefs off Mombasa, with the season running from April to October (Zaslavsky, 2006). Snorkeling equipment is available at most of the coastal hotels.

Football (soccer)

Football (soccer in the US) is no doubt the most popular sport in Kenya. People are nuts about it. It was introduced by the British in the early 20th century. While tribe is generally important in Kenya, football remarkably crosses both ethnic as well as class lines. Streets are empty during the World Cup, when millions are in front of the TV. A quick way to make friends with a Kenyan male is to simply mention some famous Kenyan football players from your own country (Zaslavsky, 2005).

The national team is popularly known as the Harambee Stars. It consists of the best players from other football teams in Kenya. Other popular football teams are the AFC Leopards, Mathare United from Mathare Valley, in addition to the Coast Stars from Mombasa (Zaslavsky, 2006). Several companies also have their own football teams, such as Mumias (a sugar company), Tusker (the national beer brand) and Kisumu Telkom (a phone company). But British teams such as Arsenal in addition to Manchester United are also fanatically supported (Zaslavsky, 2006).

Kenyan football has even been internationalized. In 2000, German coach Reinhard Fabisch was hired to bring the national football team to a higher ...