Kimana, Kenya: Hundreds gather in the Kimana reserve, some 200 kilometres from capital Nairobi, for the “Maasai Olympics”, featuring 160 athletes, including 40 young women. The event serves to replace the traditional “Olamayio”, a Maasai rite of passage that involves group lion hunting for young Maasai men to prove their skills, identify their leaders, and attract girlfriends. “Since we started the Maasai Olympics in 2012, up to now, there’s not even one single lion hunt which was planned by the warriors,” says Samuel Kaanki, the Maasai Olympics coordinator. While women only compete in the 100 and 1,500 metres, plans are afoot to expand the field.
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