Safaricom injects Kes4.5 million in Kip Keino Classic
The second edition of Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour that is going down this Saturday at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, has received Kes4.5 million boost from Safaricom.
The sponsorship will cater for a fully kitted media centre and high-speed internet connection to all the functional areas at the event which is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
“We are thrilled to double our sponsorship from the Kes2 million we gave last year in support of this historic event which brings together top competitors from across the world. This is part of our commitment to supporting the growth of sports in the country and providing local athletes with a platform to explore their talent and passion,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
This year’s Kip Keino Classic comes just a few weeks after Kenya successfully hosted the World Athletics Under 20 Championships where the telco also sponsored with a total of Kes66.5 million.
The multi-million sponsorship catered for internet during the entire event including connectivity at the fully kitted media centre and media tribune.
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The internet access also extends to the score recorders’ office, event management office as well as Nyayo National stadium which was reserved as the training ground, COVID-19 testing and accreditation centre for all the athletes.
Safaricom was also among the main sponsors of the Kenyan team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games where the track and field athletes won 10 medals in total including four gold medals and emerging top in Africa.
The World Athletics Continental 2021 Tour is a series of the world’s best one-day meetings outside of the Diamond League, with the events categorized into Gold, Bronze and Silver levels determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer.
The Nairobi meeting is a Gold Label event organized by World Athletics and is named after Kenyan athlete legend Kipchoge Keino.
“We are very excited to have Safaricom come on board as one of the sponsors for the event as we prepare to host some of the world’s top athletes here in Nairobi. They supported us in 2020 and we are grateful to see that they have increased their sponsorship even further this year”, said Meeting director Barnabar Korir.
The event has attracted several top world athletes including three-time World and Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin and two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon.
Other notable names include Olympic 100m silver medalist Fred Kerley and Travon Bromell, the fastest men in the world in 2021 and Kenya’s fast-rising track star Ferdinand Omanyala.
