Your are here  » Home   » Lifestyle

Half a loaf for Paralympic athletes

Updated Monday, September 10th 2012 at 00:00 GMT +3

By Anil Bakari

The London Paralympics games ended yesterday, with Kenya bagging several medals. Shocked? Well, that may be understandable.

First, you may not even have known that the games, which started on August 29, were going on and second, you did not know the Kenyans athletes who took part in the event.

Samwel Mushai was among them and he won Kenya its first gold medal in the 1500m race and set a world record of 3:58.37.

His compatriot Henry Kirwa came third in the same race bagging a bronze medal. But despite this achievement, little was said about them and the other athletes in the media.

Compare this with the Olympics games. Several government officials, led by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, camped at Kenya House to ‘boost’ athletes’ morale and media houses set bases in London to ensure they feed their audiences with up to date information.

Why the double standards? Do ‘paralympians’ deserve less yet they represent the country as good as the able-bodied athletes?

You can bet that no one will set up a commission to investigate how the athletes performed in the games.


 

Comments in chronological order (Total 0 comments)



1100 characters remaining
 
Top headlines

Can medical board really bite finger that feeds it?

As more and more Kenyans continue to raise concerns over increasing cases of doctor negligence, observers are questioning the independence and diligence of the Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board in dealing with errant members of the profession.

Top headlines

Common interview goofs to avoid

For many job seekers, an invitation to an interview is a ray of hope for better things to come. An interview can be equated to a market place with you as the product on sale. The challenge is that the product and the seller are one — you.

Top headlines

Ngugi and the evils of colonialism

Even though his memoir says a lot about the author, it also tells how the colonialists who invaded Kenya tried and intimidated many people and enslaved them in their own homes as JENNIFER MUCHIRI argues in this piece.

Google+

Popular on Facebook

BBK 17.90 0.00
EQTY 35.50 0.50
KCB 42.00 0.00
KQ 11.35 0.05
MSC 4.50 0.10
SCOM 6.90 -0.15
KPLC 17.50 -0.05
TOTL 17.00 0.40
COOP 16.85 -0.05
FIRE 5.25 -0.05
UCHM 20.00 0.15
ICDC 21.75 0.00
Watch KTN Live Listen to Radio Maisha Live