This age-old tradition has a powerful and historic significance, representing the rite of passage from adolescence into manhood for young men within the tribes.
Lion hunting is also carried out for the practical purpose of protecting valuable livestock.
But with a sharp drop in the lion population and an increasing number of people living in the area -- which is also a popular and economically important Safari destination -- something had to be done to preserve the big cats as well as the customs of the Maasai people.
One of the solutions cobbled together by a collective of conservation and local elder groups is the Maasai Olympics.
Having made a successful debut in 2012, the second installment will take place in Sidai Oleng Wildlife Sanctuary, at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, on December 13, 2014.
By Eoghan Macguire, for CNN.
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