Kenyan boxers returned empty-handed from the 2014 Paris Olympic qualifiers in Italy last week.
The local boxing scene is alarming and the situation calls for urgent therapy.
Whereas the country has made bold and fruitful attempts to tuck away medals in the regional and continental space, the consecutive dismal shows that have plagued the Hit Squad on the global front have left us pulling away our hairs in search for answers. One wonders what the nation isn’t doing right to match the skills of dominant rivals.
Kenyan pugilists possess the aptitude to perform wonders as evidenced by their splendid exploits in the ‘80s when the likes of Wangila Napunyi ripped opponents apart to bag Olympic medals.
We must ask ourselves whether we are doing enough to promote the sport. Success has never been attained in a vacuum. Succeeding in any sporting discipline demands thorough preparations, including the willingness to plunge resources into identifying and nurturing talent.
How much has the government invested in the sport to expect returns? Can we honestly say without fear of contradiction that we have afforded boxing the same attention we have extended to athletics?
Only recently, the Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) was in a quandrum over Hit Squad’s participation in the qualifiers. It took an unnecessarily long before the federation secured funds to finance the team’s trip to Italy.
As BFK officials continued to scratch their heads in despair unsure whether the team would make the trip, their opponents traversed the world and pitched camp in various countries, limbering up for the big day.
We have very few boxing rings in the country and there are no quality gyms to push our pugilists to the fitness levels required to compete globally.
The country has failed to invest in infrastructure and other major sports have not been an exception. There is hardly any genuine interest in growing sports, other than athletics.
The adage “those who fail to plan, plan to fail” cannot be emphasised better. Miracles hardly occur in sports and such can only be termed unfortunate. The sooner we realise that we can create numerous employment opportunities through sports, the better.
Countries like Russia, China and the USA are known to top the medal leaderboards owing to their capacity to field competitors in many disciplines.
Unfortunately, Kenya can only brag about being globally dominant in athletics when it’s obvious that we can equally do well in boxing, tennis, basketball and football, going by past performances.
We need to give everyone an equal chance. Who knows which sport will produce Kenya’s next gem on the world stage? No one could have envisioned the emergence of Angela Okutoyi a few years back.