Sugoi: How the Japanese World Athletics slogan had Kenyans scratching their heads

"Every second was SUGOI ❤️. Arigato @WATokyo25 🗼!" World Athletics wrote on X.

What caught the eye of many Kenyans was the use of the Japanese adjective 'Sugoi' and the fact that the World Athletics X account wrote that word in all-caps.

In fact, back in January, the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships unveiled their official motto: "Every second, SUGOI."

The phrase sought to capture the breathtaking nature of athletics, 'where every moment counts'.

"Organizers envision nine thrilling days filled with passionate cheers and extraordinary performances, uniting fans from across the globe," World Athletics then explained. 

Quickly, curious Kenyans set out to decipher the meaning behind that word and try to juxtapose its context with its Kenyan meaning.

Others hilariously thought President Ruto had something to do with the tweet.

According to results submitted by Google,  Sugoi is a versatile Japanese adjective that primarily means "amazing," "awesome," "fantastic," or "great". 

However, depending on the context and tone, it can also convey extreme negative feelings, such as "terrible" or "dreadful". 

"It's used to express surprise, interest, excitement, or strong emotion about something noteworthy, whether good or bad. It's similar to the English word 'terrific'," Google adds.

Under that tweet, Kenyans flooded the comment section with humorous takes on the name, purposely diverting the tweet's original meaning and turning it into a murky slugfest of zingers and political brickbats.

"Wantam! Rudi Sugoi!" one Kenyan cheekily wrote, in a clear reference to President William Ruto's beleaguered presidency and the incessant calls for the premature termination of his term in office.

Whilst the name may not mean much in the average streets of Tokyo, where the Japanese bandy it around playfully and even ignorantly, its mere mention in Kenya immediately triggers hot exchanges and a fierce clash of divergent political opinions.

Sugoi, William Ruto's private home in Uasin Gishu county, has since become a heated political flashpoint with politicians and political pundits throwing around the word almost derogatively, and sticking it to the President while asking him to pack up and leave.

Every weekend, on funeral podiums and chaotic roadside rallies, politicians charge the crowds into belligerent growls and slogans, using 'Sugoi' as their primary point of attack - and turning a private home into a theatre of smear, discredit and disapproval.

The latest application of Sugoi as a political jibe at the president was five months ago, after Ruto’s apology to Gen Zs at the National Prayer Breakfast. 

Opposition leaders who gathered at Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s Tseikuru residence in Kitui County on Thursday called out the Head of State over the apology, which they view as a mockery of tens of families whose children bore the brunt of the use of excessive police force during the June 2024 protests.

"Gen Z mko hapa mnakubali apology ya Bwana Ruto? Gen Z walikufa, hawakufa? You have blood on your hands, Bwana Ruto. He gave a conditional apology. Do you accept it or not?" DAP-K Party Leader Eugene Wamalwa addressed the crowd.

Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, on his part, said, “Ati kama tulikosea natoa msamaha, iko msamaha hapo? William Ruto, take your apology to Sugoi…because you’re going to be one term."

Beyond global athletics and politics, Sugoi is also a popular word used widely in the Japanese pop culture - in fact, this past weekend, thousands of American fans of anime and cosplay gathered at the Hilton Orlando for the Sugoi Expo; a uniquely intimate and immersive fan experience in celebration of Japanese culture.

Also, for any Kenyan in Dallas, USA, there is a popular Japanese restaurant called Sugoi Shushi, which specifically caters to shushi and omakase lovers.

And while there aren't any rules of conduct written on the walls, we assume kicking up a topic on the suitability of Sugoi after 2027 may be something that will not only mess up your order - but shorten your stay there.