Road to Santiago Kicks-Off in Nairobi

The Road to Santiago for the World Special Olympics Summer Game kicked off with the Nairobi region trials at Wood Creek International School.

The trials involved five disciplines including football, basketball, athletics, bocce and standing jump where six teams and 200 athletes took part.

According to the Special Olympics Kenya (SOK) Sports Manager Vincent Mungai the federation will hold trials in other regions to select teams that will take part in the national championships in Nairobi on November 26th-28th, 2027.

Mungai said during the national championships they are targeting to select 78 athletes and 23 coaches for the World Special Olympics Games scheduled for Santiago, Chile, from 16 to 24 October 2027.

At the last edition held in the German capital of Berlin, Kenya sent 66 athletes and 22 coaches where they managed to scoop 15 gold, five silver and bronze medals.

"We are hoping from the selection, we are going to pick a good team that will even surpass the medal tally in Berlin 2023," said Mungai.

During the trials, Eric Mutembei bagged a brace for Kenyatta University to beat University of Nairobi (UoN) 2-0 as Paul Hinga stood tall between the posts for victory.