- Kenya’s Under-16 girls have secured a place in the rugby sevens competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
- KRU is using its age-grade programme alongside the National Sevens Circuit to identify players for the national squad.
- The youngsters will face Australia, China and hosts Senegal in Pool A when competition begins in November.
Kenya’s Under-16 girls rugby team has secured a direct qualification ticket to the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, giving the country a major opportunity to showcase its emerging women’s rugby talent on the global stage.
The Games are scheduled for October 31 to November 13.
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) development manager Ronald Okoth said preparations for the team have been built around the National Sevens Circuit, which has provided coaches with an opportunity to identify promising players from different parts of the country.
The talent identification exercise has included the Prinsloo Sevens in Nakuru, Dala Sevens and the recently concluded Kabeberi Sevens. The final phase of the circuit will be held at the Christie Sevens in September.
KRU confirms that its 2026 age-grade programme features Under-16 and Under-18 competitions for boys and girls alongside the National Sevens Circuit, with outstanding players targeted for national selection ahead of Dakar.
Squad to be whittled down to 15
Okoth said a provisional squad of 40 players will be selected after the circuit before being reduced to 26, from which the final travelling squad of 15 players will be picked for Dakar.
He said competition for places is already intense, with several girls impressing during the various trials.
The development manager also pointed to Kenya’s strong performances at the ongoing East Africa Games in Tanzania, particularly the success of Kinale Girls and Cardinal Otunga, as evidence that the country’s investment in school and regional rugby development is producing promising results.
According to Okoth, collaboration between KRU regional development officers and schools is helping create a stronger pathway for young players in both sevens and 15s rugby.
He believes the current crop of youngsters could form the foundation of Kenya’s future national teams, with the long-term ambition of developing players capable of competing at the 2035 Rugby World Cup.
Kenya drawn against Australia, China and Senegal
Despite facing some of the strongest rugby nations at the Youth Olympics, Okoth remains optimistic about Kenya’s chances.
He praised the players’ basic skills and understanding of the game, saying they have the potential to cause upsets against more established opponents.
As part of their preparations, the selected players are expected to feature at the Safari Sevens, which will give the technical bench an opportunity to assess the squad against stronger opposition and fine-tune preparations.
The Dakar Youth Olympics will mark an important milestone for the young players while providing Kenya with a valuable platform to expose its emerging women’s rugby talent to international competition.
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The qualification also signals growing confidence in Kenya’s age-grade rugby structures and could strengthen the country’s pipeline of players for future senior international competitions.
By Our Reporter
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