Safari Rally, Olympics & Sporting Events Kenyans Can Look Forward To In 2024

It is always important to stay up to date with major upcoming events, especially with the start of a new year, and for lovers of sports, this is no different.

Keeping an eye out for key sporting events, both local and international, helps sports fans plan properly to avoid instances where even the slightest disruption to your schedule ruins your momentum to enjoy all matters sports.

2024 therefore has a lot to offer in the sporting universe, from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to the Euro 2024, Olympic Games and World Rally Championship (WRC) among others, with most of the events on show seeing Kenya flying the flag high.

Viral Tea takes a look at key sporting events Kenyans should look forward to in 2024:

Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

This is set to be the 34th edition of the biennial African association football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It will be hosted by Ivory Coast for the second time and the first since 1984.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe unveiled the 2027 AFCON hosts in Cairo on September 27, 2023. /X

AFCON is one of the major football tournaments that is streamed across most entertainment joints in Kenya, however, this edition will carry a huge significance as it will serve as a taste of what Kenyans should expect when the country hosts it in 2027 alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

The audience also is expected to quadruple despite Kenya's non-participation in this edition given that a series of African stars play in Europe's top five leagues, including the Premier League, a competition followed by Kenyans more than any other foreign football competition.

World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally

The global event which has been held annually since 2021 in Naivasha, Nakuru County will be special in 2024 as it was moved from the end of June period to the traditional Easter holiday weekend date for the first time in 26 years.

The Safari Rally will be held between March 28-31, 2024 in Nairobi and Naivasha, according to the calendar which was released by the Federation Internationale de I’ Automobile (FIA) World Motorsports Council, coming after the rallies in Monte Carlo and Sweden.

"Glad we have come to an amicable understanding with the Promoter, FIA and all concerned to revert Kenya's iconic Safari Rally to its traditional Easter weekend," stated Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ababu Namwamba.

The Easter weekend starts on March 29, 2024, and runs until April 1, 2024.

Euro 2024

Other than the World Cup, the European Championships are among the most-watched football tournaments owing to the galaxy of stars represented from Europe's top five leagues.

Euro 2024 will be the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised by UEFA for the men's national teams of its member associations.

Germany will host the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from June 14, 2024, to July 14, 2024, and the winner will later compete in the 2025 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions against the 2024 Copa América winner.

The Euros will see entertainment joints in Kenya packed to capacity with football fans, who may also purchase jerseys from local jersey stores to pledge allegiance to their favourite national football teams.

2024 Paris Olympic Games

The 2024 Summer Olympics are expected to take place between July 26, 2024, to August 11, 2024, in Paris, France, with Paris as the main host city and 16 other cities spread across metropolitan France, plus one subsite in Tahiti, an island within the French overseas country and overseas collectivity of French Polynesia.

Paris 2024 will feature the debut of breaking (also known as breakdancing) as an Olympic event, and the first to feature an identical number of athletes between men and women.

This is one sporting event that will send Kenyans talking in crowds owing to the country's stellar performance in athletic competitions, but what is special about the Games is the grand duel between the legendary Eliud Kipchoge and 23-year-old Kelvin Kiptum in the men's marathon.

The two athletes will not only be looking to bag a gold medal but have also set their sights on being the first athletes to run a marathon in under two hours. 

Kiptum on October 8, 2023, set a new world record to win the Chicago Marathon, beating the world record set by Kipchoge.

Kiptum finished at a time of 2:00:35, which was faster than Kipchoge's 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon. This feat made Kiptum the first man in history to run an entire marathon and break the 2:01 mark, having only started running the marathon races a year ago.