- This is the first time the games are held
- They will be staged in Kilifi from March 17-19
- Kenya looks to compete in more continental and global events
Kilifi County will this weekend stage the inaugural Kenya Beach Games, organized by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK).
NOCK says it is trying to leverage into the growing attention to Beach Games, which has been growing since the inaugural World Beach Games in 2019, organized by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Qatar.
Africa’s version of the same was held in 2019 at the Island of Sal, Cape Verde. Africa celebrated the Games with 44 nations and nearly 1000 athletes competing in 11 sports disciplines.
The excitement of Beach Games is its ability to combine the informality and vibrancy of the beach to create a youth-centric beach, water, and action sports festival. With the Olympics as the highest form of competitiveness in the sporting world, ANOC and NOCs saw it best to introduce the fun side of the Olympic Movement, best represented with the creation of Games by the beach in dream destinations.
This year, the Africa Beach Games will be held in Hamamet, Tunisia in June while the World Beach Games will take place in August in Bali, Indonesia.
Kenya, through NOC-K, has put its foot forward by hosting the Beach Games as a test of its preparedness of the beach sport for the continental Games, the country’s and NOC-K’s capacity to bid for hosting rights for the continental Games 2025, and give competitors and fans an experiential carnival as they enjoy the Games in Malindi.
More than 15 beach events lined up
The Games will see more than 15 beach events and popular local beach games come to life during the two-day festival.
The Kenya National Beach Games offer a fantastic opportunity to connect with a diverse and enthusiastic audience and cultivate the next generation of athletes and sports fans under exciting, innovative, and dynamic sports.
The sports program will include; Aquathlon, basketball 3×3, judo, boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, beach handball, beach soccer, beach tennis, beach volleyball 4×4 , coastal rowing, freestyle football, karate kata, kiteboarding, and open-water swimming
NOC-K will also use the Games to promote environmental awareness and sustainability through the utilization of existing or, where necessary, beach-friendly temporary low infrastructure development, minimizing environmental impact and promoting sustainability.
The Games will see close to 600 athletes and officials descend on Malindi with an exciting offering having been introduced- Prize Money.
The NOC-K Executive has put in place very attractive prize money that has all athletes incentivized and excited for the Games. This is to ensure maximum competitiveness and raise the bar for the KBG fiesta.
Tennis will be a world ranking event
Already, the competitiveness has federations like Tennis making their event a world-ranking points event and a part of the International Tennis Federation Beach Tennis 10s event. Their event will be open and countries have already confirmed including France, Spain, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Beach Handball has announced that this will be a qualification for Africa Beach Games while Beach Volleyball 4×4 will use it as an identification pathway.
Aquathlon will have six female athletes and six male athletes ages 15-19 years and will also have a mixed relay to test the teams.
A game on the rise, 3×3 Basketball will be played with the sunset and carried on into the night. Inspired by streetball, the event will be played alongside music and will be the showstopper of the KBG.
Traditional sports by the community including Ajua, Kerum, dhow racing, and fishing will also feature in the weekend extravaganza.
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