State to reward Youth Olympics champions Rising Lionesses, says PS Mwangi

The Principal Secretary (PS) for Sports Elijah Mwangi hailed the team’s performance as exceptional stating that the girls had made history with their win; making the country extremely proud.

Speaking on Saturday night during a dinner hosted to celebrate the historic win by the Rising Lionesses, the PS said the government would reward each of the team members with quarter a million shillings in line with the enhanced cash-award scheme for team as per the established guidelines for Youth Olympics.

The Rising Lionesses became the first team in Kenya’s sporting history to win a Gold Medal at the Olympics in a Team Sports.

“We are extremely proud of your performance. You went to Dakar and left with Kenya’s ever first Gold Medal for a team sport at the Olympics. That is historic,” said the PS.

He further urged the Kenya Rugby Federation and other rugby stakeholders to focus on growing the young talent terming the players as prodigies. 

He pointed out with the quality of talent demonstrated by the team, the girls could progress and climb to the apex of the world championships and other top-tier global-level competition.

“From this team, we have what it takes to win top-level competitions; HSBC Division 1 and the World Champions. This team can deliver and bring us the world cup,” said the PS.

He further said the government was investing in infrastructure as part of giving the talented youth the required environment to grow their talents and sporting skills.

This was the first time the Rising Lionesses were competing at the Olympics. The team stunned Australia at the final with an impressive comeback that saw them win the gold medal with 17-12.

Speaking at the event, the rising lionesses Team Captain Zain Mohammed said Dakar experience was very critical for their growth and exposure. She admitted that the team gave it their all and was determined to win.

She further pointed out that being the first time for them to compete, they were determined to leave a mark at the world stage.

“It was an honor to play for the country and we gave it our best. As a result, we got the gold. We are very happy,” she said.

The Kenya Rugby Federation President Harriet Aketch said the federation would continue pursuing excellence in sports as they seek to have the national teams play at the highest level.