Kenya will for the first time in its participation history have female athletes outnumber their male counterparts, at this year’s Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games scheduled for 31 October to 13 November in Senegal.Download our MozzartSport App For More NewsThis comes after it was revealed that the East African nation will field a team of 42 females and 12 males, to compete across the event’s 13 competition sports.The move, which is a rarity in Kenya, has been built as one to inspire the female athletes in country.##NAJAVA_MECA_9922017##“Dakar offers Kenya an opportunity to strengthen the pipeline of women athletes in several sports,” National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) Secretary General John Ogolla told Olympics.com earlier this week, on the constitution of Kenya’s 54-member team.“This is important not only for performance, but also for inspiration,” he added. “When young Kenyans girls see other Kenyan women competing confidently on the international stage – in rugby, boxing, swimming, cycling and other disciplines – they see what is possible. That is how sporting legacies are built.”Kenya rules the pool as young swimmers impress at ANOCA Zone V GamesAmong the nations presenting one of the largest squads at the fourth Youth Olympic Games, Kenya, will have representation in a variety of sports including: athletics, cycling, rugby, triathlon, fencing, beach wrestling, baseball5, judo, beach handball, triathlon, wushu taolu (which is labelled a competitive performance discipline of modern Chinese martial arts), swimming, and 3×3 basketball.A focus on the long-term goal of increasing and strengthening the pathway to future Olympic Games, appears to address the need for such diversification.Kenya’s snap extra medals on final day to finish second globally at WU20 Championships“Kenya's sporting story has been built on extraordinary success in athletics, but the future presents an opportunity to build on that success,” Ogolla said. “There is talent in swimming pools, boxing rings, cycling tracks, beaches and courts across the country. The challenge is to identify that talent early.”By participating frequently at different editions of the Youth Olympic Games, Kenya hopes it will offer young athletes a chance to hone their skills, build confidence, and benefit largely on their sporting journeys, especially with the LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympics around the corner.Jepchirchir leads Kenyan 1-2 in Sydney as Gobena rewrites course record“Dakar is not simply a competition for Team Kenya's young athletes. It is part of their education as future elite athletes; an investment in a generation,” Ogolla added. “The goal is not to move away from athletics. It is to build more pathways alongside athletics and create a stronger, more diverse sporting nation.Another reason why Dakar is important for us, is because a few outstanding athletes from Dakar could make the transition into senior competition and begin their journey towards Olympic qualification for LA."Why key official believes Kenyan swimming is on the rise after 2026 Commonwealth Games
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