•The event, organised by the Kick Boxing Federation of Kenya, is the first national meet since early 2019.
•Seven teams have registered so far, each comprising 12 men and eight women.
•Next year, the federation plans to register with the Sports Council before a countrywide registration of all clubs.
All roads lead to the United States International University on Sunday as seven kickboxing teams battle for top honours in the Chairman's Cup.
The event, organised by the Kick Boxing Federation of Kenya, is the first national meet after their program of activities was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Each team is expected to comprise 12 men and eight women. Registration has been going well so far. Seven teams have so far registered and we expect more. We won't be having prize monies but there will be trophies for the best performing teams as well as medals for individual winners," David Okiya, national technical chair at the federation, said.
He"Our activities were greatly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic so it is really welcome for us to hold our first event in two years. Our last event was in early 2019, the USIU Open."
After the Nairobi meeting, focus shifts to the Mombasa Open in December as the federation seeks to build momentum for its calendar of activities in 2022.
Okiya said they have set their eyes on the Paris Olympics in 2024 following the admission of kickboxing into the quadrennial games.
"I believe the future is bright for kickboxing in Kenya considering that the sport is now part of the Olympics. Our plans for next year include registering the federation with the sports council after which we will embark on a countrywide registration of all kickboxing clubs," he said.
The country has in the past hosted several national and regional combat sports championships including the inaugural 'One Region One Champion' Muay Thai Africa Championships at Moi Stadium, Kasarani's indoor arena in 2016.
Some of the country's renowned kickboxers include Robert ‘Man Chui’ Nabertson and former professional boxer Joy Awino.