Maasai Olympics: A Way Forward
Lions are listed as vulnerable according to the IUCN red list. Laws are in place to prevent traditional lion hunts, leading to the removal of a culturally important rite-of-passage for young Maasai men. The Maasai Olympics offer an alternative.
The start of the Maasai Olympics
In 2008, a group of Maasai elders known as the Menye Layiok (cultural fathers) made a proposal: replace coming-of-age traditions which involved killing lions with a sporting competition that would test the strength, athleticism and determination of young Maasai men.
This was the start of the Maasai Olympics, organised by Big Life Foundation and sponsored by Chester Zoo, which continue today.
The first Maasai Olympics took place in 2012, drawing in competitors from Amboseli and Tsavo, with a series of competitions in keeping with a focus on Maasai warrior skills.
The participants throw javelin and rungu (a wooden throwing club traditionally used in hunting and warfare) and compete in the adumu (traditional vertical high jump) and 200m, 800m, and 5,000m races.
Respecting Culture
In the lead-up to the creation of the games, lion numbers in Amboseli, one of the richest wildlife areas in Africa and home to Maasai communities, were dwindling. As well as being targeted for ‘Olamayio’ lion hunts, where young participants proved their bravery and boosted their social status by taking part, lions were killed in retaliatory hunts when they preyed on livestock.
The Maasai games are one of several initiatives suggested by or supported by communities in Amboseli to arrest the decline in lion numbers. Some of these measures focused on preventing retaliatory killings, while the Maasai Olympics offers a culturally appropriate alternative to the Olamayio hunts.
During the games, teams of Maasai moran (warriors) compete in teams, representing themselves and their warrior village in regional heats. The games culminate in a final where the winners can secure cash and cattle as prizes and be celebrated for their skills and strength
Recovering Lion Numbers
Since the games began, there has been a cultural shift away from using these hunts as a rite of passage.
Roughly 90% of the young warrior age group who responded to a recent survey thought the games provided a good or very good alternative to Olamayio.
These efforts have contributed to a different shift; this region of Kenya is bucking the trend of falling lion numbers.
Lions are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, and the species is in decline across Africa as a whole, but the Amboseli population, which dipped as low as perhaps 20 individuals in the early 2000s, has grown to 250.
Trailblazing
The Maasai Olympics have also evolved over time. The event was originally envisioned as a way for young men to prove themselves to their community, to stand out as potential leaders and to catch the eye of potential girlfriends.
But now, women are competing, too. The last Maasai Olympics, which takes place every two years, was in December 2024. It drew in 160 competitors, including 40 women who ran in the 100m and 1,500m women’s foot race.
Big Life Foundation and their partners, including Chester Zoo, recognise the potential of women as conservation advocates. We agree with the Maasai organisers and Big Life Foundation that their inclusion is critical, both in the games themselves and in persuading young men to compete at the Maasai Olympics rather than hunt lions.
Building on the success of recent Maasai Olympics events, opportunities for women to compete will expand during the 2026 games.
Community-led Change
The Maasai Olympics provide a blueprint for other culturally sensitive conservation efforts led by those most affected by them.
It is a clear example of how initiatives proposed by and participated in by the people who live alongside vulnerable wildlife can lead to change.
