Athletics Kenya president Lt Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei has linked environmental conservation to elite sporting performance, saying athletes need healthy surroundings to train and compete at their best.
Speaking in Copenhagen during the signing of the Sports for Nature Framework, Tuwei said the partnership with UNEP, SEI Africa and the Landscape Alliance would help strengthen the relationship between athletics and environmental protection.
“Athletics has always been about more than competition. It is about people, communities, health and the environments in which we live and train,” Tuwei said.
He cited recent marathon performances to illustrate the importance of creating favourable conditions for athletes.
At last year’s World Athletics Championships, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s marathon in 2:24:43, edging Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa by two seconds in a dramatic finish, while at the 2026 TCS London Marathon, Sebastian Sawe ran 1:59:30, Yomif Kejelcha 1:59:41 and Jacob Kiplimo 2:00:28 in a remarkable race that saw three athletes record times around the two-hour mark.
Tuwei said such performances were the result of years of training and dedication, but also depended on suitable conditions for preparation and competition.
“To achieve such results, athletes need near-perfect conditions to support training and competition. Preserving and protecting nature is one way to ensure that these conditions remain favourable,” he said.
He added that issues such as clean air, healthy ecosystems and sustainable sporting facilities should therefore be considered part of the wider development of athletics.
Kenya’s plan after winning rights to host World Athletics Championships
Kenya was named host of the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi earlier this week, and Tuwei said the country would seek to use the global event to demonstrate how major sporting competitions can be staged sustainably.
The partnership will focus on areas including air quality, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection and agroforestry, with Athletics Kenya also planning to involve athletes and young people in environmental initiatives.
“This signing comes just two days after Kenya was named host of the 2029 World Athletics Championships,” Tuwei said. “We look forward to working with the Sports for Nature network to make these Championships a model for sustainable sporting events, while creating a lasting, positive legacy for nature and communities.”
He said sport had the ability to influence behaviour beyond the competition arena by encouraging athletes, fans and communities to take practical action to protect the environment.
“Every race, every training session and every sporting event presents an opportunity to promote respect for nature, reduce environmental impacts and build healthier communities,” Tuwei said.
