Fencing queen Alexandra Ndolo finally cleared to represent Kenya after German switch

Barely three days since being crowned the African Senior Women's Épée champion, German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo has been handed another dose of positive news after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board approved her application for change of nationality from Germany to Kenya.

The fencer, who had acquired a release letter from the German Fencing Federation on 9 September 2022 that was later approved by the International Fencing Federation on 17 September confirming her request for change of nationality, received the news on Thursday evening setting her free to represent the country in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

“The IOC Executive Board in a meeting held on 21st June 2023, approved your application for change of nationality to Kenya. This therefore gives Ndolo Alexandra green light to compete for Team Kenya at the Olympic Games including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” a statement from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya confirmed.

The news came on the back of her victory in Egypt where she put up a fight against 23 other competitors to emerge top for a crucial victory as she looks to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Alexandra Ndolo crowned African fencing champion

In the Fencing CAE African Championships 2023 got underway on 19 June, Ndolo finished above Algerian Taleb Ines El Batoul with Moroccan Bousfiha Chloe finishing tied in third place with home player Hussein Aya.

Her performance was enough to see Kenya finish second on the team log, behind hosts Egypt who have so far collected three gold medals, three silver and a similar number of bronze medals so far.

Ndolo is among the athletes whose pathway is a priority with very high chances of doing well in the Olympics.