XDI11. Nairobi (Kenya), 29/05/2018.- Players of Lion Stars, Kenya's first dwarf soccer team, in action during a training session at the City Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, 29 May 2018 (issued 14 July 2018). Lion Stars is an eight member men's dwarf soccer team, the first of their kind in Kenya, with players aged between 18 and 47 years old. Led by Gabriel Ochieng, a volunteer coach, the team aims transition from a recreational to a competitive one. They are planning to head to Argentina for the Copa Argentina tournament in October 2018 for friendly matches they have been invited to. Dwarf soccer has different rules to the mainstream version, in the interests of player safety. Headers are banned, for instance, to prevent spinal injuries, and if a player heads the ball, the other team will be awarded a free kick. Lion Stars is the only dwarf soccer team in East Africa and is working towards bringing Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda into the fold. However, the team is facing several challenges, including financial sponsorship that would enable them to further their sporting endeavors. 'We face the challenge of ground, we face a challenge of balls, we face challenge of corns, we face challenge of uniform,' volunteer coach Ochieng said. They have reached out to the Kenyan government and well-wishers for help. The team was established with the help of the 'Short Stature Society of Kenya' to help counter stigmatization against people of short stature in the country by engaging in activities such as motivational speaking, theater, and community work as well as sporting activities such as weight-lifting, badminton and soccer. (Futbol, Amistoso, Kenia, Ruanda) EFE/EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET
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