| Kenya at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | KEN |
| NOC | National Olympic Committee of Kenya |
| Medals Ranked 35th |
|
| Summer appearances | |
| Winter appearances | |
Kenya made its Olympic debut at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and has since become one of the most prominent nations in Olympic athletics. The country has participated in every Summer Games since its debut, with the exception of the 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Games, which it boycotted along with several other African nations due to political reasons. Twenty-nine countries boycotted the 1976 Games [1] [2] due to the refusal of the IOC to ban New Zealand, after the New Zealand national rugby union team had toured South Africa earlier in 1976. [3] On the occasion of the 1980 Boycotts initiated by the United States, Boxer Muhammad Ali traveled to Tanzania, Nigeria, and Senegal to unsuccessfully convince their leaders to join the boycott. [4] [5] [6] He did, however, successfully convince the Kenyan government to do so. [7]
Contents
- Medal tables
- Medals by Summer Games
- Medals by Winter Games
- Medals by sport
- List of medalists
- Multiple medal winners
- See also
- References
- External links
Kenya's Olympic achievements are overwhelmingly concentrated in track and field events, particularly in middle- and long-distance running, where it has established itself as a global powerhouse. Kenyan runners have consistently dominated events ranging from the 800 metres to the marathon. The country has also won several medals in boxing, particularly in the 1960s through the 1980s, although recent decades have seen a decline in that sport’s contribution to Kenya’s medal tally.
One of the few African and tropical countries, Kenya participated also in the Winter Olympic Games in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2018. Kenyan athletes have won 124 medals in total, all from boxing and track and field events, making them the most successful African committee at the Olympics. [8]
Another notable development has been the rise of Kenyan women in Olympic competition. While the first Kenyan woman, Pauline Konga, to win an Olympic medal did so in 1996 at the Women's 5000 metres, by 2016, Kenyan women earned seven of the nation's 13 medals, highlighting a rapid and encouraging rise in female participation and success at the highest levels of sport.
Increasingly, Kenya-born athletes are immigrating to compete in the Olympics for other countries, most notably Bahrain. In the 2016 Olympics, there were ~20 such athletes, including multiple medal winners.
The National Olympic Committee representing Kenya is the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, founded in 1955. [9]
