High Hopes for Team Kenya in Daegu World Championships

This week, the world’s best athletes converge in the city of Daegu, South Korea for the 13^th edition of the World Athletics Championships, the stage is set for yet another scintillating week of enthralling performances and hopefully, some show-stopping individuals who will rise to the occasion.

This current Kenyan team is capable of exceeding the memorable performances which marked the last time the world championships were held in Asia five years ago. Asia indeed has been good to us with very successful campaigns in the Olympics and World Championships in which we have participated in that continent.

The national team, made up of a mix of experienced performers and fresh faced youngsters, looks set to improve on Berlin 2009’s great medal tally with some real prospects of winning.

Already the women’s marathon team has completed an historic 1-2-3 sweep of the medals led by Edna Kiplagat, Prisca Jeptoo and Sharon Cherop making a tremendous improvement from Berlin 2009 where they only got 10^th place. What a fantastic achievement by our ladies in the marathon!

This is a great start to the championships and will undoubtedly spur the rest of the team to shoot for the podium places as the competition unfolds.  With hot favorites David Rudisha and Micah Chemos who have already begun their campaigns with relative comfort through the first rounds yesterday, expectations of fans of our athletes in those events are high.

The men’s 10,000m today should be an interesting one. We have a fairly strong Kenyan team that could challenge for a medal but it would take an incredibly and even lifetime type performance to bag the gold in light of the strong competition in the event.

However, expect some surprises. As with any championships, they provide the opportunity for someone’s moment to shine. Interestingly, our women could win gold in events our men won’t. The Kenyan quality in the women’s 5000m and 10,000m is top notch and are set to defend their titles from Berlin.

 I’m expecting a gutsy individual gold medal performance from the women in the middle distances. My dark horse picks for these championships are the 1500m runners. I believe they are suitably motivated and prepared to bring home the gold in this event for the first time in the history of the world championships for Kenya.

Medal predictions are tough to make as always but I’m making a safe bet of 6 gold medals. Anything less will be a disappointment as I feel that the team can achieve much more.

Regardless of their performance in Daegu, let us all support our national team as they elicit a tremendous amount of national pride and patriotism when they take on the rest of the world.

Sports Marketing potential in Kenya

Sports marketing was once limited to sportsmen and women wearing corporate logos on their clothing or equipment, and stadiums ringed in signage touting various brands or services.  No more.

While these kinds of “endorsements” will likely play a part in sports sponsorship for years to come, today’s sponsorship proposition demands something more than a logo displayed by a sportsman or prominently placed in a sporting venue.

The most effective sports sponsorships are those that build brand equity, linking the brand to certain positive associations in memory, and providing a win-win association between sponsor and the sponsored.

The challenge facing marketers today is to enhance a sponsor’s brand by ensuring that its customers have the right kinds of experiences with its products and services in the context of sponsorship.

Brand recognition and recall are keys, of course, but so are less tangible links that connect customer experience with the values which characterize a brand and differentiate it from its competitors. These links can be symbolic, experiential, or functional – but they are essential in establishing a strong connection between the brand and its sponsored organization or event.

Sports is the 3^rd largest category of sponsorship spending in Kenya with almost Ksh half a billion spent on sports sponsorships in 2009. This number represented almost a third of all sponsorship spending in the same year. Experts predict that sports sponsorship spending will increase to more than Ksh 1.5 billion by 2012, and continue to represent between 55 and 60 percent of overall sponsorship spending in Kenya.

At these spending levels, marketers must maximize their investment, leveraging money spent across a spectrum of consumer, trade, employee and media activities. As one expert has noted, “A company will only realize the full value of the sponsored property when it is used as a central platform around which other activities are built. Knowing how to leverage sponsorship is as much in the interest of the sponsored as the sponsors.”

Sponsoring organizations should not be afraid of cost – but they should seek to make the most of their investment on every possible front.

One word of warning for sports sponsors: don’t get starry-eyed, zeroing in on your favourite sport, team or athlete with little or no thought to your brand’s target market. How similar are your customers with the fan base of the sport or team you are considering? What competing companies in your market are doing sports sponsorships, and with whom? And, are you willing to spend at least Ksh 5 in support for every shilling spent for a sponsorship.

If the fit is there, the opportunities are great for maximizing success in both short-term sales building, and longer term brand building. The greatest success with sponsorships can be realized when:

    • Engaged fans are greatly involved in the product/service category. The larger the percentage of a particular sport or event’s fan base that is heavily involved in a product category, the more likely the sponsorship is to have maximum impact.  A rally event is a better fit for the maker of shock absorbers or sports drinks than it is for a provider of home health care services!

    • The event is supported by serious money. If a company hasn’t invested at least as much in promoting the sponsorship as it has in acquiring the rights to an opportunity, the odds of success are not high.

    • The company uses the sponsorship to communicate a clear message about the brand to a responsive target. Linking a brand to a property or event to build brand awareness “in name only” is a poor investment. The connection between sponsorship and brand should embrace a common ideal or value – making the message as important as the property itself.

    • There is a clear link between the product and sponsorship. When the connection is weak or stretched, impact is diminished. If it takes longer than five seconds to explain the connection between your brand and a sports marketing opportunity – most target buyers won’t “get it.”

Seasoned marketers know that the cost of reaching new customers can be 6-8 times the cost of maintaining and servicing existing ones. So if an organization’s brand and goals align readily with the target audience for a sports venue, team or event, if the sponsoring organization is willing to commit the funds and creative capital necessary to maximize the partnership and if the sports organization has an infrastructure that can support it, the possibility for a win-win collaboration is high.

Rudisha lives up to his potential by setting a new world record

Exciting times for athletics fans this season! A new world record was broken this Sunday, a rarity for middle distance events nowadays, by David Rudisha who delivered on his exceptional promise to set the 800m world record in the Berlin Diamond League.

His time of 1:41.09 took the narrowest 0.02s margin off Danish legend Wilson Kipketer's previous best, set back 13 years ago.

Rudisha, like his predecessor, is a beauty to watch. Long, powerful strides and determined but smooth drive to the finish characterizes his form on the track.

Uniquely, this was the 1^st world record in the 800 meters by a Kenyan even though there have been many local athletes that have dominated the event for years.

Making up for his disappointment on the same track at last year’s World Championships where he failed to make the final, Rudisha came out with purpose and demonstrated to the world why 2009’s performance was just but an aberration to his fledging ascendancy of the event.

He went to back to the drawing board and came back motivated as ever to assert his supremacy of the 800m.

Looking back at his preparations for the year, I believe the catalyst of his successful season was the decision to improve his 400 meter times in the off-season in Australia to sharpen his speed. It has paid dividends now for the longer event as he is confident and comfortable at any pace.

Because the key to the record was a fast 1^st lap close to 49 seconds. Any improvement of this fabulous record has to come from running the first lap faster because physiologically, it would be difficult to run the 2^nd lap faster than the first. And Rudisha optimally did just that.

Even more impressive is that Rudisha is just 21 years and already he is the fastest ever! His natural ability, knowledge of and subsequent execution in the event is just mind-boggling!

As Rudisha mentioned in an interview earlier, “the first step to breaking the world record is to run without pressure”.

So will he run faster? I believe so. The 800 meters best hasn’t seen much of a drop like the other middle distance events in the last 29 years. It has only been reduced by 0.64 seconds within that period. If Rudisha can remain injury-free for the rest of his career and given his young age, he could slowly milk this 800m cash cow for years. 1.39 isn’t too difficult to foresee in the coming years.

However, the likes of Kaki and his other competitors must rue their chances as they came in on the wrong era. Where for the foreseeable future, the real race will be for 2^nd place!

Having interacted with Rudisha, I strongly believe Kenya has a superstar for many years to come. He has the tools and the personality to be a marketer’s dream. Much credit goes to Bro. Colm O’Connell for nurturing this phenomenal athlete from his junior days to top of the world status.  For now, let's celebrate a proud moment - a new World Record for Kenya!

Congratulations David Rudisha for the fabulous performance!

New Kenyan Olympic Champion 2 years later

The biggest news in recent times for Kenyan athletics was the revelation that Kenya could get its 6^th gold medal eight months later courtesy of the Olympic 1500m champion Rashid Ramzi’s A sample from Beijing testing positive for the blood booster EPO-CERA.

This news couldn’t have been better for Asbel Kiprop, the silver medalist in the event, who stands to be elevated to gold and Kenya who had its best Games ever, even without that medal. However with it, shows a complete dominance of the middle distances with a sweep of the men and women’s 800 and 1500 gold medals. A feat no other country has ever accomplished in Olympic history.

I was both disappointed and delighted at the news of the positive test.  But I and many others were far from surprised that Ramzi was a cheat. If circumstantial evidence were permissible for positive tests then Ramzi would have been close to the top of most people's lists. That he managed to join a celebrated group of world and Olympic champions has been galling in the past few years as there is no bigger crime in athletics than making a mockery of one of its premier events – the men’s 1500m.

Assuming his B sample comes back positive this week, he'll be stripped of his gold medal and banned for two years. But I believe he should be banned for life! Clearly there is no way one can innocently ingest EPO-CERA prior to the Olympic Games and expect to be welcomed back 2 years later.

I am very delighted at the retrospective tests that the IOC is doing now because it sends a strong message of deterrence. The emergence of CERA offers the latest proof of why holding samples for eight years is a good idea. There is nothing particularly new about the drug itself. It is very much like EPO in that it elevates red blood cell count and has legitimate uses for people with renal failure or cancer who have trouble keeping their counts elevated.

In the doping world, that makes it easier to take -- maybe only once a month instead of once a week -- but also more risky because it's detectable longer.

Those who got hold of it around the time of the Beijing Olympics may have been hoping no test would be developed for it -- or maybe they underestimated the amount of time it would stay in their system.

Ramzi’s rise was backed up with little or no recognition but was meteoric.  A former Moroccan with limited prospects as a junior, he joined the Bahrain military and prospered under the coaching of Moroccan Khalid Boulami, a former Olympic 5000m medalist and brother to Brahim, the infamous EPO cheat who was a thorn to Kenyan steeplechasers early this decade.

In 2004 he won a world indoor silver medal over 800m. But then, early in that Olympic summer, he stunned everyone by ending the four-year winning streak of Hicham El Guerrouj at the Rome Golden League event and lowering his personal best by nine seconds. 

In Athens, despite being one of the favourites, he mysteriously trailed in 11th in his semi-final. We hardly saw him again until the following year's world championships in Helsinki. He won gold at 1500m and 800m, unprecedented in the modern era. He almost embarrassed his competitors with his ease of victory.

Bahrain rejoiced but he was hardly embraced by the sport. Infrequent appearances added to whispered suspicions and, though he took silver at the world championships of 2007 it was his first competition of the summer. He was, if nothing else, enigmatic. His Beijing gold was Bahrain's first Olympic success and he was richly rewarded and feted on his return.

Ramzi’s presence at the past two major championships only served to delay Asbel Kiprop’s climb up the medal stand. Juvenile tactics aside, the teenage prodigy, as I had pointed out in this column, was destined for greatness.

So Kiprop will be Kenya’s 4^th 1500m Olympic champion albeit in a different manner and means that he joins an elite set of middle distance heroes that include Kip Keino, Peter Rono and Noah Ngeny.

The saddest thing about Kiprop’s ascent from being the silver medalist to Olympic champion is that he will probably receive his gold medal in an envelope, minus the adulation and celebration that the feat deserves.

And that’s the tragic thing about athletes who win by cheating. They deny the legitimate winners their moments of glory, that unforgettable victory lap, the sponsorship gains etc.

All I can say is good riddance for drug cheats like Ramzi and kudos to our newest Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop.

Kenya's newest middle distance stars

The recently ended 16th African Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa last week proved to be more than a benchmark for Kenya to measure up against the rest of Africa in its preparations for the Beijing Olympics later this year.
It proved to be a tremendous opportunity to parade our latest middle distance stars. One of the things that is amazing about Kenyan athletics is that in every championship year, you can be sure that new names will emerge and that there will be sensational performances produced by either hitherto unknowns or middle level performers.
This year is no exception and the talk of Addis ‘08 was undoubtedly about Kenya’s newest middle distance stars, David Rudisha and Pamela Chelimo. These two young 800 meters stars sparkled in their senior debuts for Kenya with impressive runs and further demonstrating that our athletics talent pool continues to run deep.

Chelimo, who has been on a roll throughout the domestic season, has struck a rich vein of form and should she keep it up, could just challenge for the medals in Beijing later this year.

What was remarkable of her victory in Addis was her confident and aggressive style reminiscent of Janeth Jepkosgei, in which she blasted past a top quality field that included the legendary Maria Mutola. Granted Mutola is now in her twilight years but defeating a big name like that is a big achievement for any female 800m runner of this era and Chelimo should be proud of that.

Already she has shown maturity beyond her years and the tactical ability of a veteran at 19 and only in her first season of international competition. With current World Champion Jepkosgei serving as her training partner and role model, it isn’t therefore surprising where she draws her style and inspiration. With Jepkosgei and Chelimo possibly in Beijing together, Kenya’s chances of two medals in the 800 meters are not impossible.

After steadily rising through the junior ranks, Rudisha has taken on the mantle of the top 800 meters man with much gusto as evidenced by his trials and Addis wins. Rudisha reminds me of the quintessential Kenyan 800m runners of yesteryears reminiscent of the Sammy Koskei, Nixon Kiprotich, Paul Ereng, Billy Konchellah and William Tanui era. Tall, lanky and dominating!

Rudisha is a genuine hope for a golden moment in the Chinese capital. Wisely though, in after competition interviews, he played it cool about his prospects, for his coach Bro. Colm carries enough experience to know of the vagaries of Olympic competition.

There are already huge expectations placed upon his young shoulders as a result of his success. Only in his first year in senior athletics, he has many more years to develop and with the right approach already being applied by his minders, he will be a star for many years to come.

Another young star’s prospects continue to rise this time with an impressive bronze medal performance in the 800m. In stepping down a distance, Asbel Kiprop and his advisors are right in looking at sharpening his speed and tactical instinct in preparation for the Olympic 1500m. With a range many of his peers can only dream of -from African 800 meter bronze medallist to Rift Valley 12km cross country champion - the youngster’s combination of speed and strength is impressive. He’s obviously learnt from his missed medal experience in Osaka and will be a strong contender for gold in Beijing, of course if he makes the team.

These are exciting times for Kenyan middle distance running when youngsters are on the forefront in challenging for medals. It certainly bodes well for Kenya in upcoming championships with the future looking even more promising.

Sport adding value to Kenya in time of crisis

The political crisis that’s currently engulfing Kenya has wiped out billions off our local economy and forced the commercial and the industrial world to rethink some of the supposed certainties of the past decade or so. And the sports sector- and in particular athletics- has also been made to examine what it has more or less taken for granted in recent times- that athletics events would take place, that athletes would be able to train effectively and we will continue to win many medals in major championships.

The volatile situation has seen several events cancelled and many others in the near future in jeopardy. Due to the security concerns, many athletes in the Rift Valley have been forced to curtail their training programmes and their fitness levels could be of great concern come selection time.

Yet we could have never pictured this particular tragedy to our local sporting fraternity. The future was getting brighter in which the sport was adding value all around. To the event organisers through improved management and a real understanding of the marketplace, to the athletes who continue to reap the benefits of their hard work and of being at or close to the top of a booming profession, to the federation who benefited from corporate sponsorship, led successful teams, organized championships and individuals and which was not constantly teetering on the brink of financial catastrophe and finally to the fans who benefited from watching top class athletics here at home.

As with any business, this is the kind of stability that is required to encourage investment in the future. However, this being a sport, there will be significant hurdles to overcome when trying to reconstruct this virtuous financial circle.

While the commercial machinations of sport are fascinating, the value of sport extends beyond the balance sheet, something that the local federations such as Athletics Kenya had not simply discovered, but has pushed up on its agenda of late through the planned peace torch run and donations to the Red Cross.

Not to fault AK for their late involvement, but many other sports federations haven’t been involved in community based projects which draw on the values of their sport to effect change. If any have, few have been creative or innovative in communicating these involvements. Many could learn a thing or two from Tegla Loroupe’s much touted and successful Peace Run concept.


As we have never dealt with such a crisis before, the problems created need solutions that aren’t necessarily politically driven. We must look for other ways to help solve this crisis and I believe the corporate sector holds one of the keys to this. Recent trends in sponsorship indicate that many brands desire to find socially responsible outlets for their involvement in sports. Now, more than ever, is the time for the corporate sector to utilize this avenue to effect change. Other than an investment in exposure in supporting important competitions and sportspeople, companies will also get to play a broader role in positively shaping the future of individuals and communities around Kenya.

Sport can add value to the lives of many of our people and can help in tackling real life issues. On one end that value is all about money, at the other it is to do with the value of life enhancement, the sense of purpose, achievement and comradeship which sport delivers.

War zone at the Junction

Sunday afternoon, my brother and I decide to drive out to Kimumu and Chepkoilel 8 km on the northern outskirts of Eldoret town to see the damage of the clashes. As we make our way out of town past the old airstrip that has seen its fair share of aircraft in the past couple of days, right across it is the first sign of the destruction. A burnt shell of what was once a lorry.

On to Jerusalem, a multi ethnic neighborhood, very little damage was visible. Perhaps because the odd Kikuyu family lived amongst the many Kalenjin and Luo families in the rows of houses. It is at 'Rock Centre' that we finally see the extent of the damage inflicted on this part of town. From what I remember, a timber yard / construction supplies store is burnt to the ground. Nothing is left but the ashes. And it got worse from there. The entry point to Munyaka, a slum that bore the brunt of the clashes was a disaster! A brightly coloured shop building had most of its shops burnt and or looted out completely.

Every other shop building or house suffered the same fate along the road in Kimumu till the junction to Chepkoilel where the damage rose up a few notches. This area had a high concentration of Kikuyus hence the actions on their properties.

Junction apparently was where the battle was at its highest. Almost all the buildings were
reduced to ashes! I never knew that cement block buildings could burn down to the ground. But they do.


More shells of burnt out cars strewn alongside the road. But one that caught our attention was the blue shell of a pick up that formed a barricade across the road as a civilian road block.
As we tried to manoeuvre around it, we were stopped by 3 youths who demanded to know who we were. Our tour guide replied in Kalenjin " we are one of you" and we were promptly let through. Not before one of the boys who didn't seem more than 20 years told us of their anger at losing what they believed was their chance for a better life with a ODM government.

There was even more anger at the loss of one of the athletes who was murdered not to far from this road block by marauding Kikuyus out to revenge. "We will bury Sang and then unleash mayhem on Munyaka". "Munyaka will be nothing but ash after the funeral" they said with such passion and fury that I was afraid to look them in the eye.

Interestingly, 30 metres from the civilian road block, was a Police lorry filled with Administration Policemen (AP). Some were buying sodas and fruit from the adjacent shops while the rest looked on, not caring a bit or just numb at the grotesque situation. We drove 100 metres right into another civilian roadblock. Same routine except that this one, a few of the boys were carrying pangas (machetes) How is it that there was a police lorry - full of cops - right in between two civilian road blocks and let this lawlessness go on as if it were normal?

I soon found out the answer on our way back when trailing another car that was stopped by the boys, that the police couldn't do much. As they tried to pass through, the boys demanded that the police lorry pay something before being let through. Sounds preposterous? Well, the boys were given something. Fruits. But they were given something before they went through. which left me thinking? How can we feel safe with police like these?

Eldoret has seen some of the worst violence ever and it will be a while before normalcy returns. The trust among kikuyus and other tribes is long gone and I don't know what could ever mend that chasm.