Kenya, today, welcomes the global community for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani.

This will be the second time for the country to savour a major competition in the sport that brings the crème de la crème of world’s sportsmen and women, after successfully hosting the 2018 World under-18 Athletics Championships.

For starters, this is the second major sporting event the country is hosting this year after the World Rally Championships (WRC) last June.

The enthusiasm by Kenya to host the age-grade competition that runs from today to Sunday cannot be over-emphasised.

The event comes a week after the country emerged top in Africa in terms of medals won at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The country managed 10 medals, four gold, four silver and two bronze medals.

Hosting this sports extravaganza is a grand opportunity for Kenyan athletes to continue stamping their authority in the world of sports.

In the recently concluded Summer Games, the top placing by Kenyan athletes notwithstanding, the country did not perform well in the races that have been our forte.

We hope this was a blip on the radar and that the junior side will stand and be counted. And in doing so we win with honour and lose with dignity.

To be able to successfully host such events is not a fluke. The country has grown as a major sporting destination and such should be extended to other sporting disciplines such as football, rugby and indoor games.

It is testament to our sporting spirit and excellent facilities from the training grounds to accommodation units and other amenities.

Kenya has placed a bid to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships, we should all know that a successful hosting of this week’s Under 20 championships would work as a yard stick towards getting the hosting rights of the 2025 event.

So far the Local Organising Committee has done a commendable job. Now that the event will be held behind closed doors due the Covid-19 concerns, meaning that millions of fans will have to follow the action from television, the Ministry of Tourism should seize the opportunity and market the country to the anticipated 900 million viewers across the world. Let everyone stay safe from the virus.

Let us all get behind team Kenya and cheer our athletes from our safe spaces.