Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi has on Wednesday afternoon flagged off Team Kenya to the Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics.
The ceremony took place at the Stadion Hotel at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani where the team has been holding a residential training camp since October 19.
The Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics will start this Saturday and will run until November 26. Kenya will be represented in the competition by a strong contingent of 180 members who include athletes, team officials, medics and Interpreters.
The country will feature in five disciplines – athletics, men’s handball, swimming, women’s basketball and golf.
Mwangi challenged the athletes to give their best in the competition, assuring that the government will reward the medallists on the same scale as their hearing counterparts. Each gold medal will attract Sh 3 million while silver and bronze medals will earn Sh 2 million and Sh 1 million respectively.
Mwangi said that each record broken will earn Sh 5 million, in addition, all gold medalists will fly Business Class on their return from Tokyo.
“I urge you that when you go out there, put your effort. I know your coaches have done their work, we (the government) have done our work as the state by facilitating and supporting you. Now what remains is for you to go out and compete and we pray that you are going to bring more medals than the 24 that you brought in the 24th Deaflympics in Brazil,” said Mwangi.
“Any gold medal that you bring as per his Excellency the President William Ruto, Sh 3 million will be up for grabs and for any silver medal, Sh2 million will be rewarded while for bronze Sh 1 million. And because we believe in you, we know you are going to break records. Sh 5 million will be awaiting for every record that will be broken,” added the PS.
Team Kenya Chief Executive Officer Duncan Kuria exuded confidence that the squad will shine in Tokyo and earn an invitation to State House by President William Ruto. “I’m very confident that this team is going to post good results that will make this country very proud,” said Kuria.
“I was very happy at some point when he (PS Mwangi) echoed what I have been telling you that we are going to get the flag from the PS but the medals that we are going to get from Tokyo, we will take the flag to State House because of those medals,” he added.
Team Kenya co-captains Isaac Atima and Maurine Auma promised to lead the squad in surpassing the 24 medals (5 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze) that Kenya won in the previous Deaflympics held in Brazil in 2022.
“Because we have trained well, we promise to give our best. Our target is to perform better than we did in the last Deaflympics,” said Atima who won an impressive three bronze medals in the Brazil showpiece.
“We don’t want to let our country down in the competition. I’m sure that this team will shine in Tokyo so that we can be invited to the State House by President William Ruto,” said Auma, who is also the women’s basketball captain.
Kenya will be making its eighth appearance in the Deaflympics after debuting at the 1997 edition in Copenhagen, Denmark.
