Sports Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke has urged the private sector to pump more funds into sports.
Mueke made the remarks at a Nairobi hotel on Friday where Absa Bank Kenya announced a whopping Sh60 million sponsorship deal towards the preparations for the fourth edition of the Kip Keino Classic tour.
The eagerly-awaited showpiece, which is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour series, will be staged at Moi Stadium, Kasarani on May 13.
"This is indeed one of the events in our sports calendar that we all look forward to because it allows us to showcase our athletics prowess and stamp our authority in the global community of nations as a sporting giant," Mueke said.
"We are encouraging the private sector to come together collectively and individually to help us promote and support sporting events of this kind. We appreciate ABSA's support and what they are doing for us," he added.
Mueke said the government is taking sports and arts seriously as economic enablers.
Absa Bank Kenya managing director, Abdi Mohamed said the masterstroke performances of Kenyan athletes across several disciplines had provided the bank with the incentive to continue supporting the noble cause.
"When we see the actions of our athletes such as Omanyala taking up the 100 metres challenge and inspiring the world, we in ABSA like anybody else get encouraged.
The bank doubled its sponsorship up from the Sh23m it invested in last year’s event.
"Of this commitment, Sh50 million will be utilised as title sponsors of the 2023 edition of the Kip Keino Classic Tour, setting the stage for the final edition of the global athletic showpiece," Mohamed said.
"The remaining Sh10 million will be used as leverage amounts to support subsequent events in the Kenya athletics calendar, including the Under 18 and 20 African Championships trials and the National World Athletics Bronze Cross Country and Sirikwa World Athletics Gold Cross Country which happened in February."
Kip Keino meet director, Barnaba Korir disclosed that they had set aside attractive incentives to lure big names to the event.
Speaking during the event, Kip Keino Classic meet manager Kennedy Tanui said that a total of 204 athletes have confirmed to participate in the one-day event.
“The event is going to be one of the most thrilling and the most spectacular in terms of the value and content that World Athletics will bank on for the future of Africa in event organizations," Tanui said.
“Some of the athletes expected include multi-Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, United States' Sha’Carri Richardson, Ukrainian Yaroslava Oleksiyivna Mahuchikh (the 2020 women’s high jump Olympics bronze medalist, 2019 and 2022 World Championships silver medalist) and Aaron Brown who is the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist,” he added.
