The Kenya men’s national rugby sevens team, Shujaa, will kick off their Olympic campaign this evening at 5:00 PM EAT when they take on Argentina in the first Group B match at the Stade De France.
Shujaa will later square off against Australia at 8:00 PM EAT before concluding their group fixtures against Samoa on Thursday at 3:00 PM.
Meanwhile, defending champions Australia will start their campaign by facing Samoa at 4:30 PM in Group B. Host France will tackle the United States in Group C at 5:30 PM, before Uruguay battles Fiji at 6:00 PM in the same group.
The Springboks of South Africa will open Group A fixtures against Ireland at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, while Japan and New Zealand will face off in another Group A encounter from 7:00 PM.
Kenya earned a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after winning the 2023 Africa Men’s Sevens Championship in September 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The team, headed by coach Kevin Wambua, is a blend of experienced players and youngsters. Wambua is assisted by former players.
Only two of the current squad’s 12 players, Herman Humwa and striker Vincent Onyala, have participated in a major championship. The other ten are making their debuts.
Other players include forwards John Okeyo, George Angenyo Ooro, and Kevin Wekesa.
Back players include Lamec Ambetsa, Brian Tanga, Samuel Asati, Nygel Amaitsa, Patric Odongo, Anthony Mboya, and Chrisant Ojwang.
This is Kenya’s third Olympic appearance. In the Rio 2016 Olympics, Shujaa finished 11th after losing all their pool matches and failing to progress to the knockout phase.
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kenya finished ninth after losing all their group matches. This year, Kenya heads to the competition confident after gaining World Rugby Core Status.
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