Kenya (KEN)

The Kenyan National Olympic Committee was founded on 14 February 1955 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the IOC session in Paris, on 17 June of the same year. In 1956, it made its Olympic début and, since then, it has been absent only from the Olympics of 1976 and 1980, both of which it boycotted. Kenya has won 113 Olympic medals through 2022, with 35 gold.

Kenya has won seven medals in boxing, but all of its 106 other medals are due to its excellent runners, led by its first great runner – Kip Keino. Keino won a total of four medals, with two gold and two silver between 1964-1972. He is followed by Eliud Kipchoge, with two golds (in the marathon) and a silver and a bronze (in the 5,000 metres), and by Vivian Cheruiyot, with one gold, two silver and one bronze. Three other runners have won two gold medals representing Kenya: Ezekiel Kemboi won gold in 2004 and 2012, in the men’s 3,000 metres steeplechase; David Rudisha won gold in 2012 and 2016, in the men’s 800 metres; and Faith Kipyegon won gold in 2016 and 2020, in the women’s 1,500 metres.

Kenya first competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 1998, when their sole representative, Philip Boit, competed in cross-country skiing. Boit was the nephew of former Kenyan middle-distance Olympian Mike Boit, and competed again at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. Sabrina Simader was Kenya’s first female Winter Olympian, in Alpine skiing, at PyeongChang 2018. Kenya has competed at the 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2018 Olympic Winter Games, with Boit and Simader being their only Winter Olympians to date.

In 1966, the Olympic Committee of Kenya was awarded with the Count Alberto Bonacossa Trophy.