A key nation in the Summer Olympics thanks in particular to athletics, Kenya is much more discreet at the Winter Olympics with only two representatives in its history, but it dreams of sending a curling team to the 2026 Olympics despite obstacles.
The lack of ice in this African country with an equatorial climate is not the slightest obstacle on the road to the next Winter Games which will take place in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
The only ice rink in the country had to close due to the coronavirus pandemic. The national team, formed in October 2021, then improvised by training, not with the famous granite stones that lick the ice, but ersatz wheels dropped on the floor of a gymnasium…
Going to the Milan Games, “it’s a big step, but as we are only the second African country to play curling, it can give us a chance to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics”, says the President of the Kenya Curling Federation (KCF), Laventer Oguta.
“But it will depend on our preparation and the support of the government. »
Kenya, affiliated to the International Federation (WCF) since February 2021, is the second country on the continent after Nigeria to take an interest in curling in this way. WCF President Kate Caithness called the listing “a great achievement for Kenya and Africa” at the time, saying it would “motivate other African members”.
Victory against Denmark
Lavender Oguta acknowledges that the International Federation has expressed some doubts about the viability of the sport in Kenya.
The KCF was handicapped by the Covid, the absence of a training place and the lack of means, to the point of having resorted to a participatory fundraiser in order to be able to train abroad for the Championships. Pacific-Asia November.
Two members of the team finally managed to travel to the United States in January, for a month, in order to experience the sensation of training on ice.
The national team has so far only played one international match, a friendly won 7-5 against Denmark, in October, in a gymnasium in Nairobi, with the pucks on wheels.
And the lack of coaches and games against other teams leads Kenya to learn the secrets of their sport by watching videos online.
Despite the difficulties, this sport has attracted a good thousand people, if we are to believe the KCF, some coming from other disciplines such as football or rugby. With the implicit dream of following in the footsteps of the only two Kenyans to have participated in the Winter Games, the cross-country skier Philip Boit (JO-1998) and the alpine skier Sabrina Simader (JO-2018).
Completely new horizon
“The challenge of bringing a winter sport to Kenya motivates me. This opens up a totally new horizon since we don’t know winter,” says Laventer Oguta.
This 33-year-old woman likes to summon new horizons. The one who was unable to participate in the Rio Olympics in 2016 with the sevens rugby team due to a knee injury, also promoted the establishment of kabaddi in her country, and she is also the vice-president of the international federation of this contact sport of Indian origin.
Haggai Odhiambo Zuma, a former first division football goalkeeper, also practiced kabaddi and rugby, before switching to curling.
“Kenya is a naturally sporting nation. We have a potentially great chance of bringing back Winter Games medals through curling if the government invests in ice facilities and helps players train overseas,” he said.
Anne Kariuki, a retired saleswoman converted into a VTC driver, started curling for fun, but now hopes to represent her country at the next Winter Olympics.
“I like curling a lot. It’s a sport for everyone, whatever your age, ”says this 50-year-old.
“I haven’t had the chance to compete for Kenya at the international level in athletics, so I can’t wait to see Kenya compete against the best nations and compete in the next Olympics,” she hopes.
