Hunting medals: Maasai Olympics 2018

15 December marks the final round of the Maasai Olympics 2018, with crowds expected to gather in Kimana, close to Amboseli National Park and about 200km south of Nairobi. Over the last five months, local and regional competitions have been held across Kenya for Maasai men of warrior age as part of the Maasai Olympics 2018. Cash prizes and a breeding bull are at stake for the winning individuals and communities. Maasai Olympics project was the brainchild of the wildlife charity Big Life Foundation and eight Maasai elders who wanted to “stop lion hunting by our warriors once and for all… making it a cultural taboo”. Born Free is a main sponsor of the Maasai Olympics. The event has been held every two years since 2012 to offer Maasai warriors an alternative to killing lions as part of their traditional rite of passage. There are an estimated 2,000 lions remaining in Kenya, and Born Free works to monitor the population, mitigate human-wildlife conflict and foster co-existence. The Maasai live and work alongside lions and other wildlife, so they play a key role in their protection and conservation. The Maasai Olympics were therefore developed to encourage young men to compete in an organised sports competition based on their traditional warrior skills. © Born Free Foundation, December 2018