Government should start early preparations for the regional, continental and Olympic Games.

 Kenya certainly has its in-tray full as far as the number of international competitions the country is lined-up for in 2024 is concerned.

The country may have missed out on flourishing competitions like the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast or the Six-Nation Rugby Championships to be co-hosted by United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Italy on February 2-March, but there is a litany of equally important events coming up which calls for thorough attention and especially from the government which is a key stakeholder in sports.

As the old adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail and this should sink into the minds of the Ministry of Sports from which everyone is relying on for the success of the several key events.

Granted, there is very minimal time left before the country takes a stab in the events and the faster preparations are rolled out the better for our teams. For starters, the immediate championship is the East Africa Community games set for Rwanda on February 1-10 before the All Africa Games in Ghana from March 8 and then the Magical Kenya Open Golf, the WRC Safari Rally, the Olympic Games in Paris, France on July 26-August 11 and then the CAF CHAN competition.

The regional championships at the Rwandan capital Kigali will within a month be followed by the All Africa Games and then a beehive of activities will follow.

It will be imperative if the Kenyan government forms teams of qualified personnel to start preparing for these major events ahead of the assignments and provide insights into the preparations of participating disciplines.

It must be acknowledged that Kenya, particularly in the Olympic continental and regional landscape, has been a force to reckon with which is why the government should be steadfast top ensure that its gives its competitors all the support to ensure proper participation in all these events.

There is also a need of sports stakeholders giving invaluable suggestions to the government in its bid to give unwavering support towards our own in the widely celebrated Games. These Games are a popular, multicultural festival, a celebration to share with the rest of the world and we cannot just afford to miss out.