By GPC Sports Desk
Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei has called for greater attention to environmental conservation, saying healthy surroundings are essential for athletes to train and compete at the highest level.
Speaking in Copenhagen during the signing of the Sports for Nature Framework, Tuwei said the partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), SEI Africa and the Landscape Alliance would strengthen efforts to integrate environmental protection into athletics.
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“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 pointed to recent outstanding marathon performances as evidence of what athletes can achieve when they have the right conditions for training and competition.
At last year’s World Athletics Championships, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s marathon in 2:24:43, beating Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa by just two seconds in a closely contested finish.
The 2026 TCS London Marathon also produced remarkable performances, with Sebastian Sawe clocking 1:59:30, Yomif Kejelcha 1:59:41 and Jacob Kiplimo 2:00:28 in a race that saw three athletes finish around the two-hour mark.
Tuwei said such performances reflected years of hard work and commitment by athletes, but were also dependent on favourable environments in which they could prepare and compete.
“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 said clean air, healthy ecosystems and environmentally sustainable sports facilities should be viewed as part of the broader development of athletics rather than separate environmental concerns.
Kenya was named host of the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi earlier this week, giving the country an opportunity to showcase how major international sporting events can be organised while protecting the environment.
Under the partnership, efforts will target areas such as air quality, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation and agroforestry. Athletics Kenya also plans to involve athletes and young people in environmental conservation 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.”
Tuwei said sport could also shape behaviour beyond the competition field by motivating athletes, spectators and communities to adopt practical measures that 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,” he said.
