Communication is one of the most important tools a human has. It enables a person to express his wants, feelings, and ideas about the subject[s] at hand.
Nonetheless, it is already common knowledge that numerous Kenyan athletes have failed to express themselves during interviews after winning medals, thereby humiliating themselves in front of the public.
Should Kenyan athletes think about learning English? Should they make studying English a minimum requirement?
For us to answer the above rhetoric question we have to go down past instances where Kenyan athletes failed to express themselves after winning medals;
Dominic Samson Ndigiti, a Kenyan athlete, made headlines in 2017 when he won bronze in the 10,000-meter walk event at the World Under-18 Championships held at the Moi International Sports Complex in Kasarani.
He failed to answer questions posed to him by a journalist correctly humiliating himself in the process.
Here is a snippet of the interview;
“I am here with bronze medalist Dominic Ndigiti.” The interviewer got going. And then she asked: “You made history by winning the first medal for Kenya today. How do you feel?”
Ndigiti: “Am very fine because I was training very hard, and that is my target is gold, but it is sorry for Kenyan people.”
The journalist then posed a second question “Kenyans will be proud of you all the same. How tough was it?”
Ndigiti answered: “The walk was very tough because I was only in Kenya the athletic who was participating in that event, and I was like a mono, and that is why my competitors from China was two people (in number) … I hope that it is my mind.”
Clearly from Ndigiti’s interview he failed to respond precisely to what was being asked of him. Simple replies proved to be mammoth to him.
There are no restrictions, but the consequences of not learning and speaking English in international competitions are evident.
Sports Expert Dr. Kipchumba Byron, once said that most of Kenyan athletes are suffering from not knowing how to speak fluent English.
“Without good communication skills, an athlete can’t build their image and it becomes difficult to get endorsements,” he explained. Athletes should clearly study English for their own good. With the ability to speak immaculate English like Eliud Kipchoge, sponsorship deals and ambassadorial position are easily clinched..
