Kenya has emerged as the global champion of the Kids’ Athletics Day Challenge, with Athletics Kenya (AK) recognized as the top-performing federation among 120 participating countries.
The challenge, organized by World Athletics, engaged over 140,500 children in Kenya alone—representing a quarter of the total global participation.
Worldwide, more than 600,000 children took part in relay events across all six continents through over 1,200 activities held between April 6 and May 7.
The theme for this year’s campaign, Relay Around the World, was inspired by the World Athletics Relays currently underway in Guangzhou, China.
Costa Rica and Norway were named the first and second runners-up respectively in the global event, which aims to promote physical activity, environmental awareness, and community engagement through athletics.
Athletics Kenya’s outstanding performance was made possible through robust partnerships with County Governments and the Ministry of Education, enabling widespread mobilization of schools, clubs, teachers, and volunteers.
As the winning federation, Kenya was awarded US$10,000 to further support and expand youth athletics programs in the country.
Costa Rica and Norway each received US$5,000 to continue their Kids’ Athletics initiatives.
This year’s challenge also had a strong environmental focus. In Kenya, children not only took part in athletic activities but also planted trees to promote climate action. Event organizers emphasized sustainability, using recycled and eco-friendly materials to create equipment such as cardboard batons and hay bale hurdles.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe praised the global effort, stating:
“We’re extremely proud to have exceeded our target of 500,000 participants, reaching over 600,000 children worldwide. Congratulations to Kenya and all the federations, clubs, schools, and individuals who made this a success.”
Kids’ Athletics Day is a flagship event in World Athletics’ grassroots movement to get children active, build their confidence, and cultivate a lifelong connection to sport.
