The State Department for Sports has signed a deal with the government of Cuba to offer specialized training to Kenyan boxers.
Through the deal, talented Kenyan boxers will train in Cuba to hone their skills as Kenya moves to regain its foothold in the sport.
Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ababu Namwamba said the first cohort to benefit from the deal is the national team, with the specialized training expected to be rolled out before the end of the year.
Known as the hit squad, members of the team, he disclosed, will train in Cuba ahead of the Olympic Games to be held in Paris next year.
Boxing, he added, was one of the sports that put Kenya on the international map but has been run down over the years.
“Kenya used to be incredibly strong in boxing. We were the first African country to win a gold medal in boxing at the Olympics, but we have since regressed,” he said.
The government’s renewed commitment on the sport, he added, will see an aggressive recruitment drive and the rehabilitation of facilities across the country.
This, he said, will culminate in the selection of a strong team to represent Kenya at the Olympics.
Speaking at Jomo Kenyatta Sports Grounds in Kisumu during the first edition of the Kisumu Arts and Culture Festival, Namwamba said his ministry was in the process of rehabilitating and establishing new boxing facilities in the country to support the growth of the sport.
“For you to be selected to join the national team, you must train well in your locality,” he said.
To actualize the plan, the ministry, he said, will work with county governments to make use of social centers which are laying idle and convert them into academies to regenerate interest in the sport.
First among the projects he disclosed was the construction of a modern boxing ring in Kisumu to tap and nurture talent.
“Kisumu is a home of serious boxers, and I have tasked the county executive in charge of sports to bring this to my desk so that we can start the construction of a boxing ring in this city,” he said.
By Chris Mahandara
