New-look Kenya U16 3x3 team jets off to Dakar

Under the tutelage of Zedekiah Otieno, the national U16 boys team will be one of the nations competing at the Dakar En Jeux Festival 2024, scheduled from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 November.

The festival is a vibrant cultural and sports event aimed at building excitement for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

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Otieno will lead a squad that has Nairobi International School (NIS) duo of Ethan Imani and Gabriel Munyao as well as ⁠Dylan Okanda and Kennedy Ireri from the International School of Kenya (ISK).

“This great initiative has been a collaborative effort of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) and Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF). The team has been training since September with a focus on learning and understanding the principles and fundamentals of 3x3 basketball. 

They also featured in an U17 3x3 tournament held on 26 October and won. This tournament gave the boys the opportunity to build chemistry and cohesion,” a statement from form KBF reads in part.

The team departed Nairobi early Wednesday 6 November to Dakar, Senegal.

This year’s edition focuses on showcasing African talent and encouraging youth involvement in sports. Key activities include the U16 3x3 basketball tournament set to be held at Dakar’s iconic Place de l’Obélisque.

Beyond sports, the festival offers music concerts, cultural performances, and sports initiations, including demonstrations in baseball5, judo, fencing, and breakdance. This festival is both a celebration of African youth and a preparatory event for the Youth Olympics, engaging local communities and inspiring a lasting commitment to the Olympic values.

Dakar en Jeux also seeks to promote health and well-being among young people and to highlight the richness of Senegalese and African heritage.