Kenya at the Olympics
| 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]
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]
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} 1956 Melbourne |
25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1960 Rome |
27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1964 Tokyo |
37 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 |
 1968 Mexico City |
39 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 14 |
 1972 Munich |
57 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 19 |
.svg.png){kind=small} 1976 Montreal |
boycotted | |||||
 1980 Moscow |
boycotted | |||||
 1984 Los Angeles |
61 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 23 |
 1988 Seoul |
74 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 13 |
 1992 Barcelona |
51 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 21 |
| 1996 Atlanta |
52 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 38 |
| 2000 Sydney |
56 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 29 |
 2004 Athens |
46 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 41 |
 2008 Beijing |
48 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 13 |
 2012 London |
47 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 28 |
 2016 Rio de Janeiro |
89 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 15 |
| 2020 Tokyo |
85 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 19 |
 2024 Paris |
72 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 17 |
| 2028 Los Angeles |
future event | |||||
| 2032 Brisbane
| ||||||
| Total (16/30) | 866 | 39 | 44 | 41 | 124 | 33 |
Medals by Winter Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Nagano |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002 Salt Lake City |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006 Turin |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010 Vancouver |
did not participate | |||||
 2014 Sochi
| ||||||
| 2018 Pyeongchang |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022 Beijing |
did not participate | |||||
| 2026 Milano Cortina |
future event | |||||
| Total (4/24) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Medals by sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Athletics | 38 | 43 | 36 | 117 |
 Boxing | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Totals (2 entries) | 39 | 44 | 41 | 124 |
List of medalists
Multiple medal winners
| Athlete | Sex | Sport | Events | Years | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Kipyegon | F | Athletics |
1500 m, 5000m | 2012–2024 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Kipchoge Keino | M | Athletics |
1500 m, 5000 m, 3000 m st. | 1964–1972 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Eliud Kipchoge | M | Athletics |
5000 m, marathon | 2004–2020 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Ezekiel Kemboi | M | Athletics |
3000 m st. | 2004–2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| David Rudisha | M | Athletics |
800 m | 2012–2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Beatrice Chebet | F | Athletics |
5000 m, 10,000m | 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Vivian Cheruiyot | F | Athletics |
5000 m, 10,000 m | 2000–2016 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Charles Asati | M | Athletics |
4 × 400 m | 1968–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Munyoro Nyamau | M | Athletics |
4 × 400 m | 1968–1972 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Brimin Kipruto | M | Athletics |
3000 m st. | 2004–2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Julius Sang | M | Athletics |
400 m, 4 × 400 m | 1968–1972 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Naftali Temu | M | Athletics |
5000 m, 10,000 m | 1964–1972 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Pamela Jelimo | F | Athletics |
800 m | 2008–2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Hellen Obiri | F | Athletics |
5000 m, Marathon | 2016–2024 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Paul Bitok | M | Athletics |
5000 m | 1992–1996 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Paul Tergat | M | Athletics |
10,000 m | 1996–2000 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Catherine Ndereba | F | Athletics |
Marathon | 2004–2008 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Wilson Kiprugut | M | Athletics |
800 m | 1964–1968 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Philip Waruinge | M | Boxing |
Featherweight | 1968–1972 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Erick Wainaina | M | Athletics |
Marathon | 1996–2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bernard Lagat | M | Athletics |
1500 m | 2000–2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hyvin Jepkemoi | F | Athletics |
3000 m st. | 2016–2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
See also
- List of flag bearers for Kenya at the Olympics
- Kenya national athletics team
- Category:Olympic competitors for Kenya
- Kenya at the Paralympics
- Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics
References
- ^ "Diplomatic Controversies". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Africa and the XXIst Olympiad" (PDF). Olympic Review. International Olympic Committee. November–December 1976. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "The Montreal Olympics boycott | NZHistory.net.nz, New Zealand history online". Nzhistory.net.nz. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
- ^ Sarantakes. Dropping the Torch, pp. 115–118.
- ^ Honey, Martha (4 February 1980). "Ali Spars With Second Thoughts As Africans Argue Boycott Issue". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ Ezra, Michael (June 5, 2016). "Muhammad Ali's Strange, Failed Diplomatic Career". POLITICO Magazine. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ Cuddihy, Martin (June 9, 2016). "Muhammad Ali: Africa remembers the boxing legend". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
- ^ "Kenya - NOC Profile". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "Home > National Olympic Committees > Kenya". Olympic. IOC. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
External links
- "Kenya". International Olympic Committee. 4 August 2021.
- "Kenya". Olympedia.com.
- "Olympic Analytics/KEN". olympanalyt.com.
