This archive report was first published on 24 August 2020.
Kenya's sports sector is set to resume activities after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage has announced that protocols for the resumption of sports will be released within the next 14 days.
According to the ministry, stakeholders including sports federations have been given seven days to review and provide suggestions on the draft resumption protocols released on Monday, August 24, 2020.
The ministry will then take another seven days to align the protocols with the Ministry of Health before announcing the procedures.
Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohammed disclosed that the ministry will rely on recommendations from stakeholders to roll out the protocols.
Some of the sports that will be allowed to resume include athletics, volleyball, cricket, bowling, weightlifting, cycling, table tennis, lawn tennis, shooting, and golf. However, sports like boxing, judo, karate, wrestling, rugby, and taekwondo will be categorized as high-risk contact sports and will take longer to resume.
Football, hockey, handball, and basketball are among the low-risk sports that will be allowed to resume with strict COVID-19 restrictions in place.
Organizations that fail to comply with the protocols will face severe penalties, including deregistration and prosecution within existing laws.
