Protecting the environment is not rocket science says Kenyan marathon legend Kipchoge

Kenyan Kipchoge aiming to save the environment

JOHANNESBURG, September 8 (ANA) – Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge on Tuesday joined key figures in Athletics Kenya for the second International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies in Nairobi.

The event, organised by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Stockholm Environment Institute and telecom firm Safaricom, addressed the theme ‘Healthy Air, Healthy Planet’ which aimed to emphasise the correlation between human and planetary health.

During his presentation, Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic marathon champion, called on Kenyans to dedicate their birthdays to environment conservation.

“Plant a tree on your special day and in two years, we will be breathing better air. This is not rocket science,” he said. “We must protect that which provides us with clean air, clean water and is a perfect training ground for our athletes.”

Last year, Kipchoge adopted 50 hectares of forest land in Kaptagat, explaining at the time that he did so as a “challenge to individuals, corporate entities, NGOs [National Government Organisations] and citizens to conserve forests”.

Asked what elite athletes can do to raise awareness about air quality issues and air pollution, which leads to more than seven million deaths each year, Kipchoge said athletes should actively advocate for climate action and clean air so that it is in the forefront of all minds and that they should attend conferences because as influencers, they can use social media to spread awareness.

Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei said: “It comes as no surprise that all around us, we are witnessing deteriorating air quality due to increase in air pollution, which is made worse by the impacts of climate change.

“As members of the sports fraternity, we recognise the problem of air pollution, and the challenges brought about by climate change as these are now affecting our competitions more directly than in the recent past.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman