AK to join WHO in ‘walking the talk’ in Geneva

World 800m record holder David Rudisha will headline Athletics Kenya’s contingent at this year’s fifth edition of the ‘Walk the Talk’ on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland.

The event aims to showcase the importance of healthy lifestyles and demonstrate measures to safely conduct public events and will provide a healthy kick-start to the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly on May 27.

Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei expressed the federation’s commitment to addressing climate change alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

“Our presence here, in collaboration with SEI and UNEP, demonstrates our collective belief in actions for the environment,” said Tuwei.

“We are pushing this agenda not only here in Kenya with our athletes but also beyond. In Cameroon next month during the scheduled Africa Athletics Games, we are having a seminar with all the federations of Africa to discuss environmental matters.”

Athletics Kenya was the first federation to sign the Sport for Climate Action Framework in 2021, which led to the installation of air sensors in Kenya’s two major stadiums, Nyayo and Kasarani.

These sensors enable researchers to collect and analyze more data on the impact of air pollution on sports and inform mitigation actions.

Dr. Philip Osano, Centre Director at the Stockholm Environment Institute Africa, observed that science has provided stark evidence that the world is facing a crisis of climate change and pollution, which presents both a risk and an opportunity for sports.

“The sensors and clean air initiatives not only provide athletes with optimal environments for peak performance but also ensure a healthier future for all,” Osano noted.

WHO Goodwill Ambassador Didier Drogba, basketballer and childhood obesity control champion Pau Gasol, and Swiss world Paralympic wheelchair marathon champion Marcel Hug are other sports personalities who will make an appearance at the event.