Sport Safari

Posted by admin on Jul 5, 2011 in | 0 comments

Lewa  Wildlife Conservancy

In 1983, David and Delia Craig set aside 5,000 acres of their ranch as the Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary; Anna Merz, a conservationist and philanthropist, threw in her savings; and together they recruited game-trackers, bush pilots, veterinarians and others to round-up and protect Kenya’s rhinos. For the next few years, they tracked, captured and relocated every remaining wild rhino in northern Kenya to the refuge for breeding and safekeeping.  The programme was so successful that within a decade more space was needed, leading the Craigs to dedicate their entire ranch to conservation and form the non-profit Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in 1995

Most well known for its unique setting Runner’s World Magazine included the Lewa Marathon as being, ‘One of the top ten races to run in your life’. One of the more notable characteristics of the Lewa Marathon is the setting in which it takes place. The race takes place on the Lewa wildlife conservancy, a game park that is home a variety of large African wildlife to include lions, elephants, rhinoceros, and the greatly feared cape buffalo. There are no physical barriers separating the runners from the wildlife, making Lewa a unique experience in the running world.

Rugby

Kenya has established itself as one of the premier nations in sevens rugby. Kenya excels in the shorter version of the game in large part due to the speed and athleticism of Kenya players.

For many years, Kenya had shown plenty of potential to be a sevens power. Kenyan rugby players are reknown the world over for their flair , pace and sheer athleticism. They often showed flashes of brilliance, scoring spectacular tries, playing crowd pleasing rugby and often pulling off unlikely upsets. But for many years, this potential remained unfulfilled.

If sheer pace, agility and athleticism were the only factors needed to win sevens rugby matches then Kenya would be world champions !!!

This was the assessment of the official website of the 2001 sevens Rugby world cup, created by the IRB.

Eight years later, Kenya finally arrived on the scene and established itself as one of the top sevens rugby playing nations. Kenya has for many years produced incredible sevens talent.

Rhino Charge

The Rhino Charge is an annual off road motorsport competition that has been held in Kenya since 1989. It is a unique and exciting competition that requires bravery and a high level of skill in off-road driving and navigation. The event, organized by The Rhino Ark Charitable Trust, is held to raise funds for a very noble cause – conservation of Kenya’s Aberdare Ecosystem.

Athletics

Perhaps more than anything else, Kenya is re-known all over the world for its track and field athletes. Since the 1960s, Kenya has produced more world class athletes, more world record holders and more Olympic Medallists in long distance running than any other country. Kenya’s history in Track and field goes back to 1951 when the Kenya Amateur Athletics Association was formed. Soon it became apparent that Kenya had a reservoir of talent which if tapped could produce several world Class runners.

Since the trail blazing days of Tagla Lorupe, several other Kenyan women have established themselves as world beating marathoners including Margaret Okayo who won the Boston marathon multiple times and Mary Keitany, the winner of the 2011 London Marathon,

All in all, Kenya has won a total of 21 gold medals in Olympic athletics along with 29 silver and 25 bronze medals. Atthe world Junior Track and field championships of 2000, Kenya stole the show, winning seven gold medals to finish at the top of the medals table, Kenya’s best performance ever, a sign that there is still abundant talent coming through the ranks. Kenya has done well at every Junior event since then, often topping the table ahead of the mighty Americans and Europeans.

Muay Thai

Also  known as ‘The Art of the Eight Limbs’ because fighters use their hands, shins, elbows and knees, kick boxing is tougher than other martial arts.

Muay Thai was developed from the unarmed combat art of ‘Muay Boran’, used by Siamese soldiers in ancestral warfare as an extra method besides their weapon skills. Muay Thai quickly became popular across South East Asia as an entertainment and for competitions.

Polo.

There are a few Polo Clubs in Kenya, as Polo is still a popular activity for many. The Nairobi Polo Club is the largest and probably most popular Polo Club and it’s located off Ngong Road in Nairobi. It often hosts matches and polo events; including international competitions with visitors who come from Britain, Southern Africa, Europe and India.

Equestrian culture is still strong in Kenya, with many ranches and stud farms found who breed top quality racehorses (and polo ponies). The Nairobi Polo Club at Ngong Road is found at the same location as the Nairobi Race Course where regular events are held.

Kenya Safari Rally

The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world’s toughest rally. It first took place from May 27th to June 1st 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari and ran across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11.  In 1960 it was renamed the East African Safari Rally and kept that name until 1974, when it became the Safari Rally