LAIKIPIA HIGHLAND GAMES 2009

19th September 2009

The LAIKIPIA HIGHLAND GAMES are on again!

The events are:

Individual events

3000m – Men and women
1500m – Men and women
400m – Men and women
Javelin – Men Only
Long Jump – Men and women

Teams

Football- Men only
Volleyball- Men and women
100m– Men and women
4 x 100m Relay –Men and women
Tug Of War- Men only
Tribal games- Men and women

Additionally there will be a handicap race with a famous athlete.

A detailed program will be availed closer to the date.

Please contact us for any further details or queries and register your team/athletes with us before 1th September 2009.

Since the number of participants may have to be limited for reason of timing, kindly ensure your application is sent in promptly.

Bring your tent: Campsite with toilets and showers will be available.

Hire a tent: various options available at Tarpo, our appointed out fitters: Contact Vicky or Ruth 0737 958400/0722 204747

Ice cream, snacks and cash bar service will be available throughout, breakfast,lunch and dinner, by Thompsons Falls Lodge.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LHG INFO SHEET [PDF 250kb]

Our contact:
0735943008
event@gallmannkenya.co.ke

Come and join us!

From Kuki and the team

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAIKIPIA HIGHLAND GAMES

SPORTS FOR PEACE

Laikipia Nature Conservancy to host once again an assortment of sports and tribal games to promote peace and local culture in the wild.

Laikipia/August 26th, 2009: After the enormous success of the inaugural event in October last year, the second edition of The Laikipia Highlands Games will take place on September 19^th 2009 at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy in West Laikipia.

The Gallmann Memorial Foundation has joined hands again with the Great Rift Valley Trust and Keino Sports Marketing to organize the LAIKIPIA HIGHLANDS GAMES which will bring together the local communities for a day filled with a variety of sporting and cultural activities aimed at bridging differences across the cultural divide.

The day will see both Western modern athletics and traditional tribal games played by tribal youth dressed in their traditional attire in a fast and exciting sequence when local communities, school children, VIPs and major Olympic Stars will meet guests for this peace- building charity endeavor on Kenya Great Rift Valley's extensive Laikipia Nature Conservancy.

Both the Gallmann Memorial Foundation and the Great Rift Valley Trust have been since January, at the forefront of providing food relief for the peoples of Western Laikipia and East Baringo and East Pokot. An estimated 20,000 women and children and elders have been fed since and the programme is ongoing.

Kuki Gallmann, the conservationist and author founder of the Gallmann Memorial Foundation and of The Great Rift Valley Trust said: “At a time when tribal tension throughout the northern regions is exacerbated by the continuing drought, we want to give contending tribes and communities an opportunity to meet in neutral ground, together with a vast public, to engage in peaceful competitions that will put their fitness to test. We also want to offer unique opportunity to potential new athletes. Spotters from the Olympic Committee identified last year two promising athletes who were trained at the Kipchoge Keino High Altitude Performance Centre in Eldoret .One of them, a Standard Eight student, Jacob Kurere reached the national level in the long jump as a result of this exposure. We welcome the public to witness what sport can do to bring peace and co-existence among communities”.

To underline the spirit of fusion and the importance of finding common denominators, this Year event will also host football teams from Nairobi slums, such as AMREF drummers and the Sarakasi Trust acrobats.

Paul Tergat, one of Kenya’s finest athletes and former world record holder in the 10,000 meters and marathon said “this is a very unique event that brings warring communities together through sport in the most unique setting. It is indeed the Kenya that we want. It is also a great way to tap talent amongst these communities and at the same time, encouraging them to conserve nature and protect the wildlife in that unique part of Kenya”.

While last year proceeds helped the ongoing construction of a sports arena in the area of West Laikipia for the local youth, amongst other educational pursuits, this year will focus on drought alleviation and famine relief.

For further information on how to get there and where to stay- please contact Catherine

Email:event@gallmannkenya.co.ke

Tel: 0735 943 008