Team Kenya challenged to surpass medal haul in Brazil

Team Kenya for the 24th Summer Deaflympics in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil has stepped up training at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani in Nairobi.

The contingent comprising of athletics, football, handball, basketball and golf athletes were on Thursday taken through a media relations session to improve on their interactions with members of the fourth estate on and off the pitch.

They were advised to have cordial relations with the media fraternity by creating a positive rapport, building trust and telling their stories elaborately through interviews and on their various social media platforms.

Athletes were also taken through the journey of handling successes and failures which will be the two outcomes during their participation in Brazil.

The players are set to go through a mental awareness session on Friday April 8, 2022 to be conducted by the Chiromo Hospital Group.

At the same time, the players have been challenged to work hard to surpass the 16 medals ( 5 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze) the country  registered in the last edition of the global games in Turkey in 2017.

Josephta Mukobe, the Principal Secretary, State Department of Culture Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage urged the athletes to take their training seriously ahead of the games.

"Discipline is mandatory for your success. Kindly respect the rules of the game and don't forget our aim in Brazil which is to win medals," Mukobe said.

"Kenya is the home of champions and we must live by this mantra when we go to Brazil,"Josephine Onunga, Secretary Administration, Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage State Department for Sports, reiterated.

Onunga, who is also the Chair Team Kenya Local Organizing Committee for the 24th Summer Deaflympics 2021 encouraged the athletes to take advantage of the high profile Kasarani facilities to up their game before they depart for the international assignment.

"Kindly train well, show the rest of the world that Kenya is a powerhouse in Africa," Onunga said."Practice, focus on your game, and be disciplined."

"Let's not lose our sights on the medals at any given time. As a government, we want to celebrate you. We want to give you a red carpet reception when you jet in with your medals from Brazil," she added.

Team Kenya will be in training at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani for 23 days after which the squad will be whittled down to 136 who will travel to Brazil.

Kenya first took part in the Summer Deaflympics in 1997 in Copenhagen, Denmark.Kenya was ranked ninth overall out of 97 nations  in the last edition held in Turkey.