Safaricom has announced a Ksh. 20 million sponsorship for Team Kenya at the Tokyo Olympics. The funds have been set aside for the ceremonial kit that will be used by the Kenyan team at the games scheduled to kick off on 23rd July in Tokyo, Japan.
Commenting on the sponsorship, Peter Ndegwa CEO Safaricom said, “As part of our passion for sports, we have always been at the forefront of supporting our athletes every time the Olympics games are held. Whether this is through supporting the Olympic trials, giving incentives to the medal winners or providing support to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya. This year in addition to ensuring they are well kitted we’ll be providing each team member airtime so that they can keep in touch with their family and friends back home.”
Each member of the traveling team will receive Ksh. 10,000 worth of Safaricom airtime that they can use while in Tokyo.
“I thank Safaricom for their continued support and investment in sports and in our athletes. This is in line with our commitment as a Ministry to partner with the private sector to uplift the quality and standards of the sports industry in the country. We have put in place extensive measures to ensure that the athletes are well prepared for the Games in Tokyo. Despite the pandemic, our collaborative public-private partnership approach has provided much needed protective support to the entire sports ecosystem securing athlete welfare”, said Ambassador Dr. Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage, and Culture.
In the last Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil in 2016, Kenya took a record 89 athletes competing in seven sports to the Games, winning six gold, six silver, and one bronze medal.
This year, Kenya will take over 80 athletes to the Olympics who will compete in Athletics, Boxing, Rugby Sevens, Taekwondo, Indoor Volleyball, and Beach Volleyball.
The Olympic games, which were scheduled for last year were postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic that continues to disrupt events across the world.