•Part of the plan is to invite bidders to place adverts on players' shirts, their caddies' bibs and caps in order to raise funds for the DO World Tour event slated for March 3-6.
•Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi and Kenyan Eric Ooko are among the target beneficiaries of the initiative.
Image: FILE
Regional golfers eyeing the Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship title will benefit from a lush Kenya Vision 2030 sponsorship deal for the second consecutive season.
Kenya Vision 2030 director-general, Kennedy Mwige, said the move gears towards unlocking the potential of local golfers.
Part of the plan is to invite bidders to place adverts on players' shirts, their caddies' bibs, and caps in order to raise funds for the DO World Tour event slated for March 3-6.
Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi and Kenyan Eric Ooko are among the target beneficiaries of the initiative.
"We held an auction of advertising spots on players' caps, polo shirts, and their caddies bibs,” said Mwige.
“And the reason we are doing it differently is to show Kenyans the value of sports and to unlock the value. We sell ourselves cheap yet we have beautiful facilities, we have beautiful sports, good sportsmen but we do not realiSe the value,” said Mwige.
Mwige gave an example of the Super Bowl of the USA which was held recently.
"People were actually paying hefty fees to sit and watch a game. Some were flying on private jets to watch a game and then fly back out in jets. This is the value of sports we are talking about,” he observed.
“Kenya is a powerhouse in athletics. We are a force to reckon with in sevens rugby. We have the African record holder in Ferdinand Omanyala who is one of the leading athletes in 100m, but we are not realiSing the value of these things.
“Omanyala should now be a multi-millionaire by virtue of his exploits on the track. And being a sprinter he has a very short lifespan in sports,” said Mwige.
“Through the golf sponsorship, we are trying to introduce Kenyan corporates to the powers of branding. We want them to raise money to support our local players as they do it.”
Mwige added that he expects the prize money raised by Kenyans to be more than that of the outright winner of the Kenya Open in the next three to four years.
"We did this last year during the back-to-back European Tour events —the Magical Kenya Open and the Savannah Classic. This year we continue to support the players," he said.
"One thing we forget is that the people who make the Kenya Open happen are the players.
“You don’t go to the stadiums to watch yourself, you go to stadiums to watch 22 men. Likewise, you don’t come to Kenya to play golf alone, you come to compete.
“So the essence is to also try to develop public participation in sports management. Let’s not only engage in sports at the level of betting but also in nurturing talent. What has been missing in Kenyan sports is structures."
"Kenya Vision 2030 is certain that Kenyans will make the cut in the MKO 2022. Beyond this year’s Open, let’s establish support and motivation structures for sport in Kenya," he said