By Elias Makori, Managing Editor
What a weekend of sport it was!
As football fans prepared for an epic UEFA Champions League final, tennis enthusiasts remained glued to the unfolding drama at Roland Garros, while athletics followers looked ahead to the Rabat Diamond League meeting in Morocco. Three sports, three cities, one continent — and a reminder that sport remains one of the world's greatest connectors.
For me, the highlight destination for the week was Paris, where an invitation to the Presidential Tribune at Roland Garros (thanks Tennis Kenya President Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani!) offered not only a front-row seat to one of tennis' most prestigious events but also an invaluable opportunity to engage with some of the sport's most influential figures.
The famous Parisian clay has once again produced compelling stories.
Teenage stars Moïse Kouamé of France and Brazil's João Fonseca have announced themselves on one of sport's grandest stages, while several established names have discovered, as many before them have, that Roland Garros can be an unforgiving examination of both skill and character.
The clay courts, after all, have always possessed a personality of their own.
One of the week's most memorable moments came during an engaging conversation with American tennis legend Pam Shriver. Her achievements speak for themselves: former world No.1 in doubles, world No.3 in singles, and Olympic doubles gold medallist alongside Zina Garrison at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
Elias Makori with US tennis legend Pam Shriver at Roland Garros during the 2026 French Open tennis tournament. (Photo / POOL)
That Seoul Olympiad remains especially significant for Kenyans, having delivered our country's first and only Olympic boxing gold medal so far through the late Robert Wangila, whose achievement continues to inspire generations of boxers.
Today, Shriver remains deeply involved in tennis as a television commentator and global ambassador for Yonex, dedicating much of her time to nurturing the next generation of players. Listening to her perspectives on talent development, professionalism and the future of the game was both enlightening and encouraging.
Beyond the action on court, there was equally significant progress for Kenyan tennis.
On the sidelines of Roland Garros, Tennis Kenya signed a landmark partnership agreement with the French Tennis Federation. The agreement, spearheaded by Tennis Kenya President Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani and her team, also involves the City of Istres in southern France.
The partnership will provide promising Kenyan players access to world-class training facilities and competition opportunities while creating valuable exchange programmes for coaches and officials.
In the next few weeks, four young Kenyan stars and their coach will be in Istres where they will be welcomed by the city’s young mayor, Robin Pretot, who is keen on building partnerships between his beautiful city and Kenya. Such collaborations are exactly what Kenyan sport needs if it is to consistently compete with the world's best.
Major sporting events often create opportunities that extend far beyond medals and trophies. They open doors to partnerships, learning experiences and relationships that can shape the future of entire sporting disciplines.
That reality was reinforced during a courtesy visit to Kenya's Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Betty Cherwon, at the Kenyan Embassy on Rue Freycinet in Paris.
Discussions centred around the growing role sport can play in strengthening cultural, educational and economic ties between nations.
As I prepared to head south to Rabat for the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme — part of the prestigious Diamond League circuit — I was reminded once again that sports travel is about much more than chasing results and headlines.
It is about people, places, cultures, opportunities and the remarkable stories that emerge whenever sport brings the world together.
And that, dear reader, is precisely what this column hopes to chronicle every week as I take you through my sports journeys.
* * * * *
Boarding Pass Travel Tip: Paris on a Budget from Nairobi:
Many readers often ask what it costs to follow major sporting events abroad without breaking the bank.
Some assume you must steal huge amounts of cash to afford travel to France.
Based on the Central Bank of Kenya mid-market exchange rate of 1 USD = Sh129.53, here is the breakdown of your travel budget with US dollar conversions added in brackets:
- Return airfare: Sh140,000–180,000 ($1,081–$1,390) (booked several months in advance)
- Budget accommodation (hostels or budget hotels): Sh8,000–10,000 ($62–$77) per night
- Daily food and local transport: Sh3,000–5,000 ($23–$39) per day
- Schengen visa and travel insurance: Sh15,000–20,000 ($116–$154)
For a seven-day trip, a realistic low-budget estimate would be between Sh250,000 and Sh310,000 ($1,930–$2,393), depending on flight availability, season and accommodation choices.
The earlier you book, the cheaper the journey. In sports travel, as in sport itself, preparation often makes all the difference.
Until next week, keep your boarding pass ready!
Elias Makori, a former long-serving Managing Editor (Sports) at the Nation Media Group, is the Founding Managing Editor at Pura Vida Sports Africa. elias.makori@ymail.com
