NAIROBI, Kenya, March 26, 2026 – This year’s Kip Keino Classic will be held on a Friday evening to provide as many people as possible to tune in to the proceedings.
Meet director Barnaba Korir says holding the competition in the evening will be a boon for TV production in terms of viewership as well as stadium capacity.
“In the evening it is actually much better. Especially when it comes to the TV production…and also the TV viewership. It is during the evening when the viewers are at home and also those who want to come to the stadium can come. Those who want to watch on TV, they can also watch in the evening when they have the opportunity,” Korir said.
Ever since the first edition, the World Continental Tour Gold event has been staged on Saturdays, beginning from 10 a.m through to the evening.
One thing that will not be changing about the seventh edition is the entertainment that will be on the menu.
Korir says the day-long event will be a festival; a mixture of sports and entertainment to keep the fans thrilled from start to finish.
“Beyond that, we are also going to have big entertainment. You know we have to combine sports and also entertainment. We are asking the Kenyans to be part and parcel of this great event. This is the highest level of athletics event that we have,” the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) deputy president said.
This year’s edition is set for a return to the Nyayo Stadium, after a brief hiatus in which the sixth edition was staged at the nearby Ulinzi Sports Complex in Lang’ata.
The tartan track at the 20,000-seater stadium has been undergoing sprucing in preparation for the D-day, particularly with the re-marking and measurement to conform with World Athletics (WA) standards.
Speaking at the same time, Diamond League technical director in Shanghai, Brussels and Xiamen, Owen Malone, described the process as fruitful thus far.
He said they are leaving nothing to chance to ensure a world class event that will be talked of for many years to come.
“I would just like to say that it has been a very fruitful three days working alongside Sports Kenya, Athletics Kenya, in preparation of the events. We have been focusing on the sports equipment, on the timing equipment, and on television and event presentation,” Malone said.
He added: “Another aspect of the site visit has been the measurement of the track for the track certification by World Athletics. We had a surveyor come in and I would say, in general, everything is looking good. I think the track certification is very well possible within the time frame.”
Malone divulged that the first report on the measurement process will be ready within next week.
