Kenya at the
2006 Winter Olympics
The flag of Kenya
The flag of Kenya
IOC codeKEN
NOCNational Olympic Committee of Kenya
in Turin
Competitors1 (1 man) in 1 sport
Flag bearers Philip Boit (opening and closing)
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Winter Olympics appearances (overview)

Kenya sent a delegation to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, from 10–26 February 2006. This was Kenya's third time participating in a Winter Olympic Games. The Kenyan delegation consisted of one athlete, cross-country skier and three-time Olympian Philip Boit. In his only event, he finished 91st in the men's 15 kilometre classical.

Background

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya was recognised by the International Olympic Committee on 1 January 1955.[1] They have competed at most Summer Olympic Games since then and through 2016 have won exactly 100 medals at Summer Olympiads.[2] Their first Winter Olympics participation, however, only came in the 1998 Winter Olympics, and Kenya was making its third Winter Olympic appearance in Turin.[2] Kenya has never won a Winter Olympics medal.[2] The Kenyan delegation was the first to check in at the Turin Olympics.[3] The 2006 Winter Olympics were held from 10–26 February; a total of 2,508 athletes representing 80 National Olympic Committees took part.[4] The delegation consisted of a single athlete, cross-country skier Philip Boit.[5] He was the flag bearer for both the opening ceremony[6] and the closing ceremony.[7] Boit was Kenya's only Winter Olympian until Sabrina Simader competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics, a games at which he served as chef de mission.[8]

Cross-country skiing

Colour photograph of Philip Boit holding skis
Philip Boit at the 2011 World Championships

Philip Boit, who had gained international recognition after placing last in the 1998 Winter Olympics,[9] competed in his third Olympics as Kenya's sole representative.[3][10] Boit was a runner in his native Kenya, who had been scouted by American sportswear company Nike, who wished to train runners as cross-country skiers.[11] In 1998, Boit finished the 10 kilometer classical race in a time of 47 minutes and 25.5 seconds, 20 minutes behind Bjørn Dæhlie, the gold medalist;[12] delaying the medal ceremony, Dæhlie remained at the finish line to congratulate Boit.[9] Boit saw snow only two years before his Olympic debut in 1998,[8] and later named his first child after Dæhlie.[13] He was 26 years old at the time of the Turin Olympics.[14] On 17 February, Boit finished the 15 kilometre classical in a time of 53 minutes and 32.4 seconds, which put him in 91st place out of 96 classified finishers.[15] The gold medal was won by Andrus Veerpalu of Estonia in 38 minutes and 1.3 seconds, the silver by Lukáš Bauer of the Czech Republic and bronze was taken by Tobias Angerer of Germany.[15] When Kenya next qualified for a Winter Olympics, in 2018, Boit was one of the coaches and said of the athlete Sabrina Simader, "Being the pioneer of skiing in Kenya, I am glad that my legacy continues as Simader heads to South Korea."[16]

Distance
Athlete Event Final
Total Rank
Philip Boit Men's 15 km classical 53:32.4 91

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kenya – National Olympic Committee (NOC)". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kenya". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 Kimutai, Aileen (8 February 2010). "Kenya's one-man team a flag-bearer for Africans". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Turin 2006 Winter Olympics". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Kenya at the 2006 Torino Winter Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "List of flag bearers – Torino 2006 – Olympics". Eurosport. 10 February 2006. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Flag Bearers for the Closing Ceremony – Olympic News". International Olympic Committee. 26 February 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Kenya's Philip Boit overjoyed to pass torch to Simader". The Star. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  9. 1 2 Savage, Maddy (24 January 2014). "Philip Boit and Bjorn Daehlie: Cross-country friends". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Torino 2006 Official Report – Cross Country Skiing" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-12. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Skiers From Kenya? Just Do It – Nike Gets Criticized For Initiating Feel-Good Story Of Winter Games". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. 14 February 1988. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Olympic Winter Games - Men's 10km C OFFICIAL RESULTS 12.02.1998". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Philip Boit, Kenya's first Winter Olympian". International Olympic Committee. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Philip Boit Bio, Stats, and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Cross Country Skiing at the 2006 Torino Winter Games: Men's 15 kilometres". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Kiguru, Muigai (10 January 2018). "History beckons: Wanjiku carries Kenya's hopes to next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea". The Star. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
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