Kenya’s ‘Boxgirls’ nominated for Laureus world award
Nairobi’s Boxgirls, a programme that uses boxing to challenge stereotypes and empower young women in Kenya, has been nominated for the 2023 “Laureus Sport for Good Award.”
The nomination was made Monday night when the final shortlist for the prestigious annual global awards was unveiled by organisers.
Nominees for the top awards include Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina, and Rafael Nadal, who ended 2022 alone at the top of the all-time list of men’s Grand Slam champions.
Others are Katie Ledecky and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who set records for world titles in the pool and on the track, and Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors, champions of the NBA for the fourth time in eight years.
“And as if the talent on our list of nominations isn’t enough, these Awards will be judged by the 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy — Olympic champions, world record holders, athletes who changed the game, and the ultimate jury on sporting greatness,” a statement from the
organisers said.
The “Laureus Sport for Good Award” Award celebrates social programmes which have made a significant contribution to transforming the lives of children and young people through sport.
“Kenya’s Boxgirls is a programme which engages with girls and young women across poor and disenfranchised neighbourhoods in Nairobi,” organisers explained the nomination.
“Here girls marry young, they get pregnant in their teens, they have little control over economic assets, they drop out of school earlier than boys, and are subject to a disproportionate level of violence.
“Boxgirls challenges this vicious cycle which is anchored in a cultural pattern, by reaching out to schools to engage with girls, providing them with boxing training and with peer coaching and related discussions about life experiences and life skills, helping the girls to build skills and confidence in themselves.”
Other nominees in this category include TeamUp of The Netherlands, India’s Slum Soccer and a programme whose mission is to make sport inclusive for people with disabilities in South Africa (Made For More). BY DAILY NATION



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