Eliud Kipchoge Urges France-Africa Cooperation on Sports Development at Nairobi Summit

Eliud Kipchoge called for collaboration between Africa and France to develop sports talents on the continent while speaking at the Africa Forward Summit at the University of Nairobi on May 11, 2026. The double world record holder and four-time London Marathon champion said France can provide Africa with knowledge and experience on sports science, infrastructural development, athlete development and event hosting.

"France provides experience in sports science, infrastructure, event hosting, and athlete development, while Africa offers exceptional talent, youthful energy, and a lively sporting culture.

This presents an exciting collaboration opportunity to build stronger, more sustainable sporting communities across Africa," Kipchoge said. The summit aims to identify and explore strategies to enhance an equal partnership between France and Africa. Kipchoge stated that the African sports landscape lies fallow because support systems to harness talent are inadequate or non-existent.

"There is a lot of untapped potential in Africa, we have produced outstanding talent across all sports including footballers who have played in the greatest clubs in Europe," he said. "However, many of the supporting systems essential for this talent such as sports science, technology, infrastructure, media and economic support are frequently advancing elsewhere and not here, that needs to change if we are to realize our full potential.

Perhaps Africa's next exciting chapter isn't all about producing exceptional athletes.

It's about developing ecosystems that work," Kipchoge added. AllAfrica reported his remarks. He pointed to recent breakthroughs by Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha, who became the first humans to run an official marathon in under two hours at the London Marathon in April 2026.

Sawe finished in 1:59:30, ahead of Kejelcha who clocked 1:59:41. "I am delighted that seven years since that audacious INEOS 159 run in Vienna, two athletes were able to go under 2hrs in race conditions, I am even prouder that Kenya's Sabastian Sawe and Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha are from our beautiful African continent," Kipchoge said.

Kipchoge himself ran a marathon in 1:59:40 at the INEOS Challenge in Vienna in 2019.

Kipchoge became the youngest World Champion at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. He has been driven by self-discipline for 23 years as of May 11, 2026.

Kipchoge is the athletes' representative at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya. AllAfrica reported that through the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation he aims to continue contributing by fostering mentorship, youth development, and pathways that link talent with education and opportunities that will enable them push past boundaries once seen as impossible.