It must be noted that entry costs re-
main prohibitive as well as low corpo-
rate engagement and sponsorship and
low level of public awareness. Though
nascent, the potent for eSports growth
in terms of leagues and tournaments,
fan and sponsor engagement too are on
a growth tangent. Indeed, the world of
eSports is truly with us!
looks promising.
Borne of the fact that the Rally remains
one of the toughest in the circuit, the
latest format of motor rallying will be
a test on the viability of returning to
global status. Current WRC races are
held within a 3-day window consisting
of a special spectator stage (where two
competing drivers run circles around each
other on a lapped circuit), and maximum
total distance of 350kms per event.
In anticipation of
the expected rev-
enues to be gener-
ated, Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium
managers are hold-
ing up for £20 mil-
lion naming rights
bid. Did you read
that - £20 million,
approximately
KES 2.6 billion!
And we’re still
wondering wheth-
er to keep some
lackluster name for
a national stadium
due to ‘misplaced
nationalism’?
92 MAL29/19 ISSUE
hosting this with the hope of hosting
the Africa eSports Championships
#AEC2019 in August 2019.
For the uninitiated, eSports brings video
gaming from your living room to a
competitive arena. This is usually in the
form of organized multi-player game
competitions. The more popular ones
include football-inspired FIFA as well as
basketball-themed NBA. As I noted in
a previous article, it has become so huge
that there was an eSports-inspired World
Cup tournament running concurrent to
last year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The sport has attracted many gaming
enthusiasts both young and not-so-young
who have turned up in good numbers
for the Kenyan chapter of the African
e-Sports Championships running for
the next couple of weeks in April in
Nairobi. As a precursor to the August
main championships this is bound to
expand both the fan base and other
gaming stakeholders including corporate
sponsors.
In the second-half of 2018, a female
pro gamer became the first Kenyan to
be recruited to an eSports Club based
in the US, after taking part in a Tekken
254 tournament. In relation to this, ESL
the world’s largest eSports company and
global industry leader partnered with a
pan-African sports media broadcaster
to promote eSports and gaming across
the continent in 2018. This indicates the
potent of gaming within the African
continent and Kenya in particular.
It must be noted too that entry costs
remain prohibitive as well as low corporate
engagement and sponsorship and low level
of public awareness. Though nascent, the
potent for eSports growth in terms of
leagues and tournaments, fan and sponsor
engagement too are on a growth tangent.
Indeed, the world of eSports is truly with
us!
Motor Rallying
Our third segment of the article covers the
world of motorsport. The Safari Rally 2019
has been making entreaties to be included
back in the World Rally Championship
circuit of races. Having been one of two
motor rallying races from Africa, and
after a 16-year hiatus, the prospects of
the Safari Rally returning to WRC status
Other candidate events seeking to be
included in the WRC in the coming 5
years include Rally Japan (to run in Toyota
City), Canada, Chile, Croatia and New
Zealand.
The Safari Rally 2019 has a fully-
fledged secretariat with backing from
the Government of Kenya. The WRC
has also provided consultants to aid with
the organizing and planning of the 2019
edition as it seeks candidacy to the WRC
roster of races.
The biggest challenge for the local
organizers will be to attract international
drivers and manufacturers or as we used
to refer to them back in the day - works
teams. The motivation to be part of a
new and presumably tougher race is one
to think about for the manufacturers and
drivers alike. The other challenges include
corporate sponsorship, safety measures
both for drivers and rally enthusiasts,
media rights and relating publicity
relations.
In closing, these and many events and
trends happening across the world indicate
that there are plenty of opportunities for
growth in the world of sport. Even with the
mainstream sports taking a dip from their
successes, there are still areas to pursue -
be it in sports infrastructure, technology
or revamping a sports discipline.
Richard Wanjohi is a marketing
enthusiast with interest in research
and sports. You can commune with
him on this or related matters via
mail at: RWanjohi@gmail.com or
check his tweets @rwanjohi.
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