Kenya has formed a national curling team in the hope of earning a spot at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The country only officially registered with the World Curling Federation (WCF) last year.

Nigeria is the only other African member of the WCF.

“This is going to motivate more African members,” WCF President Kate Caithness predicted.

Kenya Curling Federation 2021 President Laventer Oguta meanwhile is already aiming for a place at the next Winter Olympics.

“It’s a long shot but being only the second African country to play curling may give us a chance of qualifying to the 2026 Winter Olympics,” Oguta insisted, in comments reported by the state-run China Daily.

“But all this will depend on our preparations and support from the Government.”

Kenya’s fledgling curlers have used a gymnasium floor to practice sweeping stones as the only ice rink in the country was closed down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The challenge to bring a winter sport to Kenya inspires me,” said Oguta, a rugby player before injury forced her to miss Rio 2016.

“It opens a totally new horizon for us since we don’t experience winter.”

The team have already beaten Denmark 7-5 in a friendly.

“Kenya is naturally a gifted sporting nation,” team member Haggai Odhiambo Zuma insisted, according to China Daily.

A football goalkeeper in Kenya, he had tried rugby and kabbadi before settling on curling.

It had been necessary for the team to establish a GoFundMe page on the internet to raise funds for a training trip to the United States, and officials and team members are hopeful for Government support in the future.