Olympic athlete Sabrina, recounts feelings of abandonment by Kenya after being frozen out of the national team
Headline: Sabrina Wanjiku Simader Retires Early, Citing Institutional Neglect and Financial Strain in Kenya's Winter Sports Scene
Sabrina Wanjiku Simader, Kenya's only World Cup alpine skier, announced her retirement in July 2025. The 27-year-old athlete, who qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics, cited years of institutional neglect and lack of financial support from Kenyan sports authorities as the main reasons for her decision.
Despite representing Kenya on the global stage, including the 2018 Winter Olympics, Simader spent over 12 million Kenyan shillings of her own money on training and competition expenses due to the absence of governmental or institutional support. She highlighted the financial and emotional exhaustion of self-funding her career, including financing coaches and equipment from her own savings, with no winter sports federation or adequate visibility in Kenya.
Simader's case has drawn public attention to the systemic neglect faced in Kenya’s alpine ski racing environment. While the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) president contested her claims, stating she was the most supported athlete and reviewing their funding records, Simader's own testimony and detailed accounts of financial strain underscore the challenges faced by athletes in niche sports within countries without established winter sports infrastructure or support systems.
Meanwhile, in other news, MPs have ordered Kanja to surrender the police payroll to the National Police Service Commission. The Cabinet is also moving to regulate the church and health sector. The 2026 Winter Olympic Games is a topic of discussion, and Francis Mutuku, a notable figure, is involved in these discussions.
References:
- Nation
- The Standard
- Capital FM
- Daily Nation
- Sabrina Wanjiku Simader, despite her achievements in sports like football, found herself funding her niche sport, alpine skiing, due to a lack of institutional support, illustrating potential benefits for health when financial strain is alleviated.
- Unbeknownst to football fans, Kenya's only World Cup alpine skier, Sabrina Wanjiku Simader, has retired, underscoring the importance of investing in sports to promote both personal health and national representation.
