Huge financial boost for 20th anniversary SOYA gala at KICC

The 2023 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) celebrations, set for March 1, have received a KES. 6 million boost to host this year's gala at the iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

This year's edition marks 20 years since legendary distance runner Paul Tergat conceived the noble idea of paying homage and recognizing the country's top-performing sports personalities across all disciplines.

The theme of this year's SOYA celebration, which has 11 categories, is "Celebrating Sporting Excellence," resonating well with the milestones the country's sportsmen and women have achieved over the decades.

Among the sponsors that have come on board to support the 2023 SOYA are the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA), and Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS).

Two decades ago, legendary paralympian Henry Wanyoike and distance runner Catherine Ndereba were the inaugural Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year winners, respectively.

Kenya Sevens rugby team, Shujaa, won the Sports Team of the Year (Men), with the national women's volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, claiming the Team of the Year award. Brimin Kipruto (athletics) was declared the most promising sportsman as legendary Kipchoge Keino (athletics) was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"In this edition of the SOYA awards, we are marking a major milestone of recognizing, honoring, and celebrating our sports personalities consistently for 20 years, a feat only possible with true friends and partners of SOYA and Kenyan sports. I salute you," said Tergat during the launch of the 20th edition of SOYA on Tuesday at the Sarova Stanley.

Jepchirchir advocates for athlete safety, emphasizes need for personal drivers

Tergat said that 2023 witnessed some of the greatest performances across the board, with special mention going to the Special Olympic athletes' performances.

However, Tergat noted that this year's SOYA will honor some of Kenya's accomplished sportsmen and women who have passed on, including marathon world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum, and former multi-track world record holder, Henry Rono.

Kiptum and Rono are among the nominees who will be rewarded during the SOYA Gala. "We once again convey our profound condolences to the families of the two and other sports personalities who have left us in the last one year," said Tergat.

SOYA panel of selection chairman, Chris Mbaisi said during the launch that his panel has been hard at work and has covered a bit in terms of nominations. "It has not been easy considering the competition that was there last year, but we will deliver on the best achievers," said Mbaisi.

Mbaisi explained that the SOYA organizers were forced to postpone the gala in honor of the late Kiptum and Rono as he led those present in a moment of silence in remembrance of the two fallen heroes. Mbaisi also announced the return of the Schools Category, which has a separate panel handling it.

The panel chair noted that the 2024 season will be equally competitive and laden with major championships. He singled out the Paris Olympic Games scheduled from July 26 to August 11 and the Paris Paralympic Games planned from August 30 to September 8.

The sporting fraternity is also looking forward to the Africa Cross Country Championships scheduled for February 24 in Tunis, Tunisia, followed by the World Indoor Athletics Championships on March 1 to 3 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The African Games will go down from March 8 to 23 in Accra, Ghana, while the World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held on March 30 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The WRC Safari Rally will be held March 28 to 31 in Nairobi and Naivasha, while the International Secondary Schools World Cross Country is slated for May 12 at the Ngong Racecourse.

How Salim Babu's diplomacy skills have turned performance around at Kenya Police