Przemoc wobec biegaczek w Kenii

Portrait of Colm O’Connell, known locally as “the godfather of Kenyan running,” in a museum built on St. Patrick’s High School to preserve its rich legacy in athletics, in Iten, Kenya, on March 6, 2023. In 1971, the Irish educator approached neighboring Sing’ore Girls High School with the idea of training girls to be runners. His efforts eventually paid off. In 1986, a dozen female athletes from Kenya entered the under-20 world championships in Athens for the first time. They took eight medals, four of them gold. Nine of those athletes had been trained by O’Connell. After world record-holder Agnes Tirop was murdered a group of her fellow athletes formed Tirop’s Angels to stop gender-based violence. The group has filed 12 cases alleging domestic abuse with the police since Tirop’s death, including women who have been hit, slapped, thrown to the ground and had their bank accounts hijacked or property deeds changed. More than 40% of woman in Kenya say they have experienced physical or sexual violence by their husbands or partners, but the prize money that has flowed into Iten from running, along with endorsement contracts from global sporting brands, has raised the stakes for these athletes.