Kenya Maasai Olympics: Hundreds gather for lion hunt alternative

Maasai youths in Kenya have come together for a sports competition, created as an alternative to the group's annual lion hunt - a traditional rite of passage.

Hundreds competed in various games in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, including spear throwing, athletics and high jump.

For generations, Maasai warriors were expected to fight and kill a lion as part of a ritual centred around their transition to manhood.

But after the number of large cats began plummeting in Africa, environmentalists and the group's elders founded the so-called Maasai Olympics.

News imageEPA Maasai Warriors compete in a traditional high-jump competitionEPA
News imageEPA Maasai women wear their traditional attire to watch the games play outEPA
News imageReuters A Maasai Moran falls after throwing a javelinReuters
News imageEPA Maasai warriors in their traditional attire sing as they warm up before the start of the gamesEPA
News imageEPA A Maasai Moran lifts off the ground while competing in the Javelin competitionEPA
News imageReuters Spectators watch as a Maasai Moran throws a javelinReuters
News imageEPA Maasai spectators watch the sporting event from afarEPA
News imageEPA A Maasai Woam has a go in the rungu (or Maasai traditional war-club) throwing competitionEPA