)
The captain has eyes on the Winter Olympics and Hockey World Cup among other international tournaments.
The national Ice Hockey team captain Benjamin Mburu has set sights on representing Kenya in the Winter Olympics and the hockey World Cup among other international events.
The 28-year-old is also keen to transition into coaching and other officiating roles to ensure continuity in the sport even after his exit from playing.
“I see myself as a team manager, coach, or in a leadership position. With my age, I think that’s where I fit best. However, I still dream of representing the country globally and making Kenya proud,” Mburu told Africa Daily Podcast.
The national team has only been to one international competition since 2018 where they travelled to Canada and featured in three matches.
)
18:00 - 28.03.2023
HOCKEY Kisumu Hockey Masters club ready to host tourney amidst financial challenges
Club Chairperson Evelyne Adhiambo has sighted a lack of finances as a major challenge.
Mburu revealed that playing against some of the greatest teams in Canada was an eye-opening adventure for them and enabled them to gain valuable experience.
The journey for the ‘Ice Lions’ has not been all rosy as they have faced numerous challenges along the way. Mburu revealed that back then, getting full playing gear was a challenge as they could not get support from sponsors.
“In our first international outing to Canada, we had never played in full gear because it was costly and we were not getting support,” he narrated.
He also revealed that their plea to the Ministry of Sports for accreditation for the first time was not approved but they however did not give up their hopes.
)
17:17 - 01.03.2023
HOCKEY It's all systems go for the Junior Africa Cup
Top two teams in both categories will compete at the FIH Junior World Cup in December
Funding also proves to be a major challenge to the team but Mburu said they are currently in a better place.
“I remember the first time we approached some government officials for accreditation and they did not take us seriously. However, we had to keep pushing and finally, they chipped in to support us. We have also been getting funds from some donors and going forward, we hope for the best,” he said.
Mburu is also keen on spreading the sport's popularity to help them gain visibility.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)