Don’t ignore education, Olunga advises young sportsmen and women
Kenyan international striker Michael Olunga has underscored the importance of budding sportsmen and women in the country to balance their talent with education.
Olunga, who plies his trade for Qatari club Al-Duhail, said although the world is changing and talent now pays handsomely, education is equally rewarding.
“I always like telling fellow sportsmen that it is possible to pursue education while honing their talent. When there is an imbalance there could be a problem,” Olunga said.
Olunga, who deferred his degree course in Geospatial Engineering at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) to pursue a professional career in football, said growing up his ambition was to become a pilot.
“I wanted to be a pilot but here I’m in another institution. I started playing football when I was young, it was my passion,” he recalled.
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The on-form striker said he would like to be remembered for supporting and nurturing young talent in the country through his football academy.
“We identify the best talents so that we can give them opportunities to not just play football and showcase their skills but also to get quality education,” he said.
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While calling for more partnership, Olunga explained that his academy, who is based in Homa Bay County, is identifying young talents from the age of 15 years and below.
“We want to partner with all willing institutions so that we can go outside the country because there is so much potential in this country that needs to be tapped and what is lacking is opportunity,” he said.
At the same time, the striker has called on the Ministry of Sports under the new Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba to engage all stakeholders to ensure sports in the country are taken to the next level.
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