Yesterday at lunch, I met the current Chairman of Athletics Kenya, Isaiah Kipligat who extended an invitation to me and a few others to sit in the VIP box for the Olympic Trials to be held at the national stadium. In an effort to seize the opportunity to experience new adventures and make my most of my time in East Africa, I decided to forego a lazy Saturday morning and head near town.
About an hour before the first heat started, I met up with a friend and his daughter. Lately, I have been a bit apprehensive to go to events by myself, so meeting up with them was comforting. I was one of 3 or 4 mzungus in the VIP box-- along with the Ambassador from the British High Commission and two other unrecognizable expats.
Recently, there have been moments where I feel a bit awkward mingling with Kenya's elite and this was no exception. The VIP box had a mix of current and past great athletes (who won Olympic medals in the 1980s and 1990s) and some high-profile politicians and nearly all were dressed in full-suits with ties-- something I didn't anticipate at a sports event. (I felt slightly under-dressed in jeans and my black Nike windbreaker).
The Vice President of Kenya (and current presidential candidate) sat several rows in front of me. His college-age children sat behind him. There was lots of hand-shaking, swahilli chit-chatting and friendly greetings to each person as they mingled around the box.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but religion predominates almost every aspect of society and for me, that has required a bit of personal adjustment (more about that in another future entry, I suppose). Before the first women's 1500m heat started, the announcers urged all attendees stand up to participate in prayer by enlisting God's grace to bestow the participating athletes with outstanding performances and thanking Jesus Christ.
Kenyans do love their athletics! In between heats, the crowd sung swahilli chants and the mood in the stadium was jovial and upbeat. Today was the final day of competition and the athletes passionately sprinted their all towards the finish lines. I had a near front-row seat to see their gallant efforts.
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