Safaricom Athletics Series Expands, Eyes Pan-African Competition

Nairobi, April 2nd 2015… Safaricom has today unveiled the 3rd Edition of the Safaricom Athletics Series that will, for the first time ever, feature track and field events in addition to relay and long distance races. Promises

The series will be categorized into 3 editions namely: Safaricom Relay Edition, Safaricom Track and Field Edition and Safaricom Long Distance Edition.

“We hope to give our athletes a chance to explore their talents by providing more platforms for them to take advantage of. We will not relent on our commitment to support athletics. Our overall objective is to have a positive impact in sports as we continue with our agenda of transforming lives of communities,” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.

The first event in our series will take place next weekend and the organisers  have invited five African nations to compete during the trial in a bid to prepare the team for the world tournament.

These nations include the legendary African sports powerhouses Nigeria and Botswana as well as South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, all of whom have confirmed attendance.

Safaricom has also announced that it would be introducing new measures to ensure its investment in the sport remain protected, including bringing in external auditors.

“Even as we continue to invest heavily in athletics, we would like to call upon all stakeholders and the governing body, Athletics Kenya, to ensure that the good image of athletics as a key sport in Kenya is not eroded by the issues that have plagued this sport over the past few months,” said Mr. Collymore.

The Safaricom Athletics Series 2015 will kick off with the final relay scheduled for 11th April at Safaricom Stadium Kasarani where the Kenyan team that will compete in the 2nd IAAF World Relay Championships will be selected.

The Track and Field events will take place from July 9 to 11 with the national trials scheduled for July 24 and 25. The team will represent Kenya in the 15th IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China in August and All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville in September.

The different races will be managed and conducted through Safaricom’s partners in the athletics field:  Athletics Kenya, Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, Henry Wanyoike Foundation, Tesia Isanga Foundation, DAAK and Axis Marketing.

Over the years, the Safaricom Athletics Series has traversed various regions in Kenya giving many upcoming athletes a platform to showcase their talent. The series has transformed the lives of athletes and communities, highlighting the Telco’s position as the biggest sponsor of sports in the country.

Nairobi, April 2nd 2015… Safaricom has today unveiled the 3rd Edition of the Safaricom Athletics Series that will, for the first time ever, feature track and field events in addition to relay and long distance races. Promises

The series will be categorized into 3 editions namely: Safaricom Relay Edition, Safaricom Track and Field Edition and Safaricom Long Distance Edition.

“We hope to give our athletes a chance to explore their talents by providing more platforms for them to take advantage of. We will not relent on our commitment to support athletics. Our overall objective is to have a positive impact in sports as we continue with our agenda of transforming lives of communities,” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.

The first event in our series will take place next weekend and the organisers  have invited five African nations to compete during the trial in a bid to prepare the team for the world tournament.

These nations include the legendary African sports powerhouses Nigeria and Botswana as well as South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, all of whom have confirmed attendance.

Safaricom has also announced that it would be introducing new measures to ensure its investment in the sport remain protected, including bringing in external auditors.

“Even as we continue to invest heavily in athletics, we would like to call upon all stakeholders and the governing body, Athletics Kenya, to ensure that the good image of athletics as a key sport in Kenya is not eroded by the issues that have plagued this sport over the past few months,” said Mr. Collymore.

The Safaricom Athletics Series 2015 will kick off with the final relay scheduled for 11th April at Safaricom Stadium Kasarani where the Kenyan team that will compete in the 2nd IAAF World Relay Championships will be selected.

The Track and Field events will take place from July 9 to 11 with the national trials scheduled for July 24 and 25. The team will represent Kenya in the 15th IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China in August and All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville in September.

The different races will be managed and conducted through Safaricom’s partners in the athletics field:  Athletics Kenya, Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, Henry Wanyoike Foundation, Tesia Isanga Foundation, DAAK and Axis Marketing.

Over the years, the Safaricom Athletics Series has traversed various regions in Kenya giving many upcoming athletes a platform to showcase their talent. The series has transformed the lives of athletes and communities, highlighting the Telco’s position as the biggest sponsor of sports in the country.