Kip Keino Classic handed Sh4.5m boost by Safaricom

Safaricom has announced a Sh4.5 million sponsorship for the second edition of the Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

The funds will cater for a fully kitted media centre and high-speed internet connection to all the functional areas at the event which is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.

“We are thrilled to double our sponsorship from the KES 2 million we gave last year in support of this historic event which brings together top competitors from across the world. This is part of our commitment to supporting the growth of sports in the country and providing local athletes with a platform to explore their talent and passion,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said.

The 2021 Kip Keino Classic comes just a few weeks after Kenya successfully hosted the World Athletics Under 20 Championships which the telco giant also sponsored.

The World Athletics Continental 2021 Tour is a series of the world’s best one-day meetings outside of the Diamond League. The events are categorized into Gold, Bronze and Silver levels determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer.

The Nairobi meeting is a Gold Label event organized by World Athletics and is named after renown Kenyan athlete Kipchoge Keino

“We are very excited to have Safaricom come on board as one of the sponsors for the event as we prepare to host some of the world’s top athletes here in Nairobi. They supported us in 2020 and we are grateful to see that they have increased their sponsorship even further this year,” the Meeting director Barnabar Korir said.

The event has attracted several top world athletes including three-time World and Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin and two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon. Other notable names include Olympic 100m silver medalist Fred Kerley and Travon Bromell, the fastest men in the world in 2021 and Kenya’s fast rising track star Ferdinand Omanyala.