Okutoyi among eight athletes to benefit from Olympic Scholarship programme
.jpg)
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 08.01.26. | 13:25
The arrangement is designed to provide targeted, athlete-centred support to elite Kenyan athletes with potential to represent the country at the Olympic Games
Eight athletes were the beneficiaries of Olympic solidarity scholarships handed out by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) on Wednesday, 7 January, marking the official launch of the NOC-K Individual Athlete Scholarship Programme.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
The programme, which saw each athlete receive a scholarship running till August 2028, is designed to help strengthen Kenya in its bid to field sports from various disciplines at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The scholarship, implemented in collaboration with Olympic Solidarity, is expected to provide targeted, athlete-centred support to elite Kenyan athletes with demonstrated potential to represent the country at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games.
It is on that note that one of the beneficiaries is Kenyan tennis star Angella Okutoyi, who, in the last edition, narrowly missed out on a spot at the Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old, who needs to be in the top 400 to make the Games, will be making her second shot under the program, which she hopes will hold her in better stead this time round.
“I am really excited to get this scholarship twice,” Okutoyi, who is currently 559th in the WTA rankings, told NOC-K Media.
“Huge thanks to NOC-K and my federation for trusting in me for the second time, and this scholarship is going to help me in my preparations for LA 2028. I am really going to work hard to qualify this time, and to bring medals as well.”
Joining her on the list is fencing star Alexandra Ndolo, who will be looking to book back-to-back trips to the Olympics, just months after suing her federation over governance concerns and financial accountability.
Ndolo, in 2024, made her Olympics debut, but bounced out in the first round to Ukrainian Olena Kryvytska.
Other athletes under the scholarship arrangement include: Kenyan swimming duo of Haniel Kudwoli and Sara Mose, air-rifle shooter Priscilla Mburu Wangui, weightlifters Joshua Amunga Mboya and Juliana Anyango Ongonga, and wrestler Mahabila Mathayo Matonya.
The support they will receive will be structured to contribute towards training, competition exposure, coaching, and athlete welfare, all of which are essential pillars for sustained high-performance and consistent participation in international qualification events.
The group becomes the first set of individual athletes to benefit from the program, and comes a month after Kenya women’s national hockey team - Blades - benefitted from a similar scholarship.
NOC-K President Shadrack Maluki, in congratulating the selected athletes, urged others interested to make their applications through their federations, to also benefit from similar support.
“NOCK’s mandate is to ensure that all athletes are fully supported in their pathway to the qualifications,” Maluki said. “Any athlete who believes in themselves and who believes that they can qualify for the Olympics, the door is open, and we are ready to assist.”
