The figures chased each other back and forth through the dust. Surrounded on all sides, not one of the cheering onlookers dared to cross the line onto the rectangular battlefield. Somewhere obscured in the middle was the reason for the spectacle: a dirty white ball.

Thi...

Big Life’s Maasai Olympics represent a history-changing shift from killing to conservation of lions.

In 2012, at the behest of the Menye Layiok (Maasai "cultural fathers”), Big Life established this organized sporting event based on traditional Maasai warrior skills to...

Last weekend, Maasai warriors from across the Greater Amboseli ecosystem came together to compete in a day-long sports competition: the 4th Maasai Olympics Finals.

The games represent a history-changing shift from killing to conservation. At the behest of the the Menye...

As Olympics Day is fast approaching we would like to extend a formal invitation to anyone interested in attending the final Maasai Olympics competition. This is a free event and everyone is welcome. If you are able, donations to support the event are encouraged through...

4th Biennial Maasai Olympics Final Scheduled December 15, 2018 

African lion populations have declined by at least 43% in the last 20 years, with few signs of abating. Today, there are as few as 20,000 in the wild. In Maasai culture, it is custom for warriors to kill li...

We’re in the home stretch: the race for the gold is on! Only one last regional event stands in the way of the 2018 Maasai Olympics Finals. 

Since August, the four main manyatta (warrior-village) teams have competed in five regional sporting events, accruing points and...

Today for World Lion Day, we’re thinking about the 200 lions that live in our area of operation, local Maasai communities, and the shared space they both call home. The landscape in East Africa is changing dramatically. Just as we work to protect vulnerable species, we...

As the Football World Cup draws to a dramatic close, Maasai warriors in Kenya are preparing for a tournament that promises to be just as hotly contested. Following a slight delay due to the extreme rains earlier this year, team selections are now fully underway for the...

Tribe versus Pride, by filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, brilliantly presents a powerful story showcasing the Maasai tribe and their relationship to lions, and how that relationship is changing with support from the elders to conserve the very animal that they use...

It was a fight that went to the very end. Two warriors locked in battle, matching each other’s every move.

This was the final sporting event of Big Life Foundation's Maasai Olympics - lead sponsored by National Geographic and major sponsored by Chester Zoo - and the cro...