This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
Published on November 29, 2019, the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (Nock) has taken a significant step towards identifying and nurturing young talent in the country. The organization has launched a youth camp initiative, bringing together 103 talented young players from 13 disciplines for a two-week training session at Lukenya Academy in Machakos County.
The camp, which will be held every school holiday, aims to equip the youngsters with skills to compete favourably in age-group championships. This initiative is a commendable move, as it is the only way Kenya can identify and nurture talented sportspeople, thereby ensuring a steady supply of top talent for national teams in the long run.
Nock president Paul Tergat emphasized that the camp will be held outside Nairobi, providing opportunities for young athletes from different parts of the country to participate. It is our hope that those youngsters selected for these high-level training camps were chosen based on meritocracy.
For such programmes to be successful, they must be run professionally and sustained throughout the year. This requires support and funding not only from the government but also from corporates. With such initiatives targeting the youth, Kenya is assured of taking strong teams to international championships and fielding athletes in many disciplines at the Olympic Games and other key international championships.