Former marathon World record holder who is also the two-time Olympic champion in 10,000m, Haille Gebrselassie from Ethiopia, will grace the 22nd edition of the annual Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) set for this Friday at the Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.
The four-time Berlin Marathon victor will be present at the event on April 10th, where the SOYA awards will recognise athletes who excelled in 2025 across 16 categories.
SOYA coordinator Kaplich Barsito noted that holding the Gala at the iconic Uhuru Gardens is deeply connected to the nation’s and SOYA’s history.
He mentioned that World Marathon Champion Felix Simbu from Tanzania, who was supposed to attend the gala alongside Gebrselassie, will not be able to make it to Kenya due to training commitments.
“This is the site where we raised our first independence flag, so we are bringing SOYA to these historic grounds. After 22 years of successful events, it shows that these awards have matured; if it were a person, we could say SOYA is now fully grown. We are thrilled to launch the 2025 edition at Uhuru Gardens, with the legendary Haile Gebrselassie as the chief guest, and we also anticipate Waziri Mvurya as our government guest,” Kaplich stated.
Kaplich also revealed a new format that will involve the community throughout the year and eventually host the gala internationally.
“SOYA will now be a year-round event, featuring activities like running clinics, tree planting, and camp visits. In the next five years, we aim to establish a SOYA academy to nurture grassroots talent. I look forward to retiring and using my walking stick after SOYA has been held in Rwanda, Kampala, Zanzibar, and even in Ethiopia, our special neighbours. We hope those who have followed SOYA will fly to Addis for the SOYA Addis Edition.” Kaplich explained.
This year’s event will feature categories such as Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year for both able-bodied and PWD athletes, Team of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
Olympic champions Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Beatrice Chebet were honoured as the top Men’s and Women’s sports personalities, respectively, during last year’s gala.
The SOYA Awards, established in 2004 by five-time World Cross Country champion and former NOCK President Paul Tergat, aim to recognise and celebrate athletes’ achievements throughout the year.
