NOCK turns to coaches and science to reshape Kenya’s Olympic future

Coaches during the coaches high performance seminar/ NOCK 

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) has moved to align coaching structures across sports federations as part of a renewed push for sustained Olympic success.

Subsequently, NOCK has rolled out a High Performance Training programme that places coaches at the centre of long-term preparation. The programme brings together technical directors and coaches under a single structured pathway, integrating data, modern planning and accountability, as Kenya seeks to strengthen its high-performance systems beyond medal outcomes.

Speaking during the training, NOCK Secretary General Barnabas Korir, who chairs the High Performance Coordination Framework, said the initiative is designed to create uniform standards and shared learning across federations.

“The objective is to bring men and women together under the High Performance Commission, create a strong learning environment and build a database that allows us to track progress,” Korir said. 

“If we want to improve our medal tally, then preparation has to be deliberate and continuous.”

Korir noted that the current module focuses on performance planning—an area NOCK says has been a recurring weakness in past Olympic cycles, where raw talent often outpaced structured preparation.

“It is easy to prepare an athlete to participate, but it is much harder to prepare one to compete at the highest level. That difference lies in coaching," said Korir. 

Kenya has participated in the Olympic Games since 1956, winning more than 120 medals, with athletics contributing over 80 per cent of the total.

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the country fielded about 75 athletes across six sports and finished inside the top 20 nations globally—a performance NOCK views as solid, but still below the country’s full potential.

The High Performance Training programme is aligned to a long-term vision extending beyond the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to Brisbane 2032, while also feeding into the National Youth Games to support early talent identification and development.