The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Tokyo has announced a talent search targeting Kenyans in the diaspora with skills in winter sports.
In a notice dated April 13, 2026, the embassy said the initiative is being spearheaded by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, which is mandated to organize and manage Kenya’s participation in the Olympic Games, including athlete selection and training.
The exercise aims to identify and enlist qualified athletes capable of representing Kenya in winter sports disciplines at the global stage, an area where the country has historically had limited participation.
Interested Kenyans living abroad with proven talent in winter sports have been asked to submit their details, including contact information, passport details, and the specific sport, via the embassy’s official email ([email protected]) by May 25, 2026.
“Interested Kenyan Diaspora who are talented in winter sports are required to register (contact details, passport and the sport) through the Kenya Embassy Tokyo email [email protected]_on or before 25th May, 2026 for onward transmission to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK),” the Embassy stated.
The embassy noted that all submissions will be forwarded to NOCK for consideration as part of the country’s broader strategy to expand its footprint in the Winter Olympic Games.
About Winter Sports
Winter sports are those played on snow or ice, usually during cold seasons or in artificial winter environments.
Winter sports include alpine skiing, which involves racing down snow-covered slopes at high speed on skis. Cross-country skiing focuses on endurance as athletes move across long, flat, or hilly snowy terrain.
Ski jumping involves athletes skiing down a ramp and launching themselves into the air for distance and style points, while Nordic combined combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing into a single event.
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Freestyle skiing includes acrobatic events such as aerial jumps, moguls, and halfpipe competitions.
In snowboarding, athletes ride a single board down slopes and compete in events like slopestyle, halfpipe, snowboard cross, and parallel giant slalom.
On ice, figure skating combines technical jumps and artistic performance, while speed skating focuses on racing around an ice track at high speeds.
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Kenyans Who Have Participated In Winter Games
On February 2, 2026, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) announced that Skier Sabrina Wanjiku Simader and Issa Laborde had qualified to represent Kenya at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which were held from February 6 to 22 in northern Italy, featured top international athletes competing in various winter sports.
The Paralympic Winter Games were scheduled for March 6 to 15.
Issa Laborde, who had previously featured at the Gangwon 2024 Youth Winter Olympic Games, had progressed to the senior level, earning a place to represent Kenya at the highest level of winter sports competition.
