Rugby sevens star Kevin Wekesa: I am not blaming Europeans but I must highlight climate injustices'

"Most well-known people who talk about climate change are in North America and Europe, says Kenyan rugby sevens star Kevin Wekesa, but for us this is a very relevant conversation. It is not only about future tournaments or big international pledges. In Kenya, we see the effects in rising heat, cracked pitches and changing weather in communities where young athletes are growing up."

"A year before competing in his first Olympic Games at Paris 2024, Wekesa responded to Kenya's relegation from the top tier of international sevens by offering free rugby coaching in schools across Kenya. After travelling to a school in Kirinyaga on the slopes of Mount Kenya, a wet and verdant region, Wekesa found an unplayable dry field and was forced to cancel the session. One of the students told Wekesa that conditions had been similar for two months, while another suggested the unfamiliar weather was because of climate change."

"That same year, he founded Play Green, an organisation that connects sport with climate action. Wekesa went on to win a 2025 IOC Climate Action Award, recognised his success with Play Green, including leading the Kenyan men's and women's national sevens teams to use reusable water bottles, saving approximately 1,000 plastic bottles every week. Wekesa hopes to extend his influence beyond Kenya's national setup and make banning single-use plastic a policy in Kenyan rugby clubs and tournaments."

"Play Green also focuses on climate change education in Kenyan schools. We work with children because they are in"

Well-known climate voices are concentrated in North America and Europe, but climate impacts are already visible in Kenya through rising heat, cracked pitches, and changing weather affecting young athletes. Kevin Wekesa, preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics, responded to Kenya’s sevens relegation by offering free rugby coaching in schools. A visit to a school in Kirinyaga found an unplayable dry field, with students reporting similar conditions for two months and attributing the unfamiliar weather to climate change. He founded Play Green to connect sport with climate action, later receiving an IOC Climate Action Award. Play Green helped Kenyan national sevens teams switch to reusable water bottles, saving about 1,000 plastic bottles weekly, and aims to ban single-use plastic in rugby clubs and tournaments. It also supports climate education in schools and plans plastic reduction efforts for Afcon 2027.

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