Since the late nineteenth century, East Africa had been a major sporting power. However, before 1910, East Africa had not been enthusiastic about developing sports, its sports industry was immature, and its athletes rarely appeared on the international stage.
The change came in the twenties, when East Africa's image as a sporting powerhouse had begun to take shape across the world.
Naturally, the background behind the rise of East African sports was also rather subtle. Modern sports had not gained widespread global attention overnight, but through a gradual process, with the crucial turning point occurring from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens. Though small in scale, they revived the idea of an international sporting gala and became the first milestone in sports going global.
In other words, the rise of East Africa's sporting enterprise happened to coincide with the rise of sports around the world. But at the end of the nineteenth century, each country's attention to sports was still confined to domestic affairs and elite circles.
The early twentieth century was a crucial period for the popularization and entertainment of sports, thanks to technological progress. For instance, newsreels shown in cinemas allowed people to witness snippets of major competitions.
Likewise, live broadcasts by radio stations and television of boxing matches, baseball world championships, football cup finals, and the like allowed millions, even tens of millions, to "listen" to a competition at the same time, greatly enhancing the immediacy of sports and the public's sense of participation.
It was precisely thanks to this that sports gained a broad "audience" throughout the world and became an important tool of political propaganda.
The German government had clearly noticed this as well, which was why it actively organized international competitions