Government Waives Fees for Fans Attending the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi

Government Waives Fees for Fans Attending the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi

Martin Moses
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:01 PM
  • Government waives fees for fans who wish to attend the Kip Keino classic at the Kasarani stadium on Saturday
  • The World Athletics meet is expected to be action-packed with top athletes such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Lamont Marcell Jacobs expected to grace the event
  • Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa’s fastest man, is expected to be a fan favourite at the stadium when he takes on Olympic medalists Jacobs and Fred Kerley

Athletics fans who wish to attend the Kip Keino classic can now do so without paying anything. The government, through the Ministry of Sports, has waived gate fees for the event that will go down at the Moi International Sports Centre on Saturday.

Fans were initially supposed to pay a fee of 200 shillings. The organisers of the Kip Keino Classic have confirmed through a Twitter post that fans can now watch renowned athletes free of charge.

The third edition of the Kip Keino classic is set to be the biggest one yet. Olympic champions Marcell Jacobs and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are in the country to grace the event.

Jacobs, who is the reigning 100m Olympic champion will face Ferdinand Omanyala in what promises to be an explosive race. Silver medalist Fred Kerley will also join the race as he seeks to renew his rivalry with Jacobs.

Nine-time world champion Fraser-Pryce on the other hand will be seeking to use the Continental Tour Gold event to kickstart her season. The Jamaican sprint queen was supposed to face off with Sha’Carri Richardson but the American has withdrawn from the race.

Fraser-Pryce will now battle with Namibian Christine Mboma. Mboma defied all odds to win silver in the 200 metres races in the Tokyo Olympics at just 18 years. Kenya national champion Imali Maximilla will also test herself against the world-beaters.

Kip Keino Classic, Ferdinand Omanyala, Kenya Athletics
Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala in action. @FerdinandOmanyala
Source: Twitter

The 800 metres women's race will also be an attraction with Ugandan Hellen Nakaayi set to battle it out with Kenyan Mary Moraa. The two East African nations will also square it off in the 3000m steeplechase where Celliphine Chespol will come against Peruth Chemutai.

Kenyans are expected to have a field day in the 800 metres races when favourites Fergusson Rotich and Timothy Cheruyiot take to the pitch. Stiff competition is however expected in the 1,500 metres races when Kenyan-born, now an American citizen, faces off with Richard Kwemoi and Vincent Keter.

Fraser-Pryce happy to be in the country

Sports Brief had earlier reported how Fraser-Pryce was elated to be in the country. The three-time Olympic champions jetted into the country on Wednesday night.

She won gold in the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar and will use the Kip Keino class to prepare for this year's events to be held in Eugene, Oregon.

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Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)
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