Yesterday I tagged along with the athletics reporter for K24 while she shot the Kenya National Athletics Championships. Athletics (aka track and field) is one of the most popular sports in Kenya and the championships are quite a production.
To determine the national team, first, they have regional trials. These trials pull the best competitors from each province. Those winners then come to the national championships to face off against a few other interesting factions: Kenya Police, Kenya Prisons, Armed Forces, and Kenya Administrative Police. The first time I heard that, I imagined guards, officers and prisoners running amok down the track, but it's bit more complicated than that.
The runners for these teams all work at their organization, but for the most part, they've been recruited. For instance, the 18-year-old gold medalist for the women's 800 meter in Beijing runs for Kenya Police. Not because she always dreamed of being a cop - the Kenya Police gave her a job so she could run for their team. Her real job, of course, is being the fastest woman in Kenya. It's a bit like when OSU recruits a "communications" major.
The whole thing is pretty cool. Fans are nuts, and having never been a spectator at track meet of this scale, I was shocked to see just how revved up the crowd could be....and that includes the journalists.
Sports journalists in Kenya have a lot of pride in their team, and they make no attempt to hide it. In the United States, we can't even clap in the press box. Take a look at how journalists across the board reacted on the sidelines at the end of yesterday's men's 4x4 relay, and you might get a little jealous of their freedom:
