Out of Africa into Asian Games arena

NEW DELHI: The issue has been simmering since the Doha Asian Games of 2006 — and now perhaps coming to a boil — on

petrodollars should be allowed to import athletes from Africa merely to win medals at the Asian Games. There is a lot of resentment in India because it deprived India of a historic achievement of topping the gold medal table in athletics at the just concluded 18th Asian Games from August 18 to September 2 in Jakarta.

The tiny Arab Gulf states of Bahrain and Qatar stood out with African- born athletes sweeping the medals. Bahrain was a particular stand-out, with all of its 25 medals at the Games coming

athletes that only recently gained Bahrain nationality.

This has been roundly condemned on social media, especially in India, with many claiming their presence undermines the Games as a celebration of Asia, and makes a mockery of the Asian Games motto adopted

in India—”Play the game, in the spirit of the games.”

“Of course [ we] can’t blame the athletes but these rich spoilt West Asian nations like Bahrain and Qatar importing Africans for athletics is frankly a joke. Shameful,” tweeted an angry Indian TV news producer Mehran Zaidi.

Punching above their weight

Edidiong Odiong, who was born in Nigeria but switched allegiance to Bahrain two years ago, completed the sprint triple crown by winning the women’s 4x100 meters relay alongside her teammates Iman Essa and Salwa Naser – who were also born in Nigeria.

On top of the women’s 4x100m, the women’s 1,500m was won by Ethiopian- born Kalkidan Befkadu, who also picked up gold in the 5,000m. Her time was enough to beat fellow Ethiopianborn team- mate Tigist Belay, who took silver. Birhanu Balew, another Ethiopian-born athlete, won the men’s 5,000m ahead of Kenyan- born teammate Albert Rop. Bahrain then won the silver in the women’s 4x400m with four athletes all born in Nigeria. They also won the women’s 400m with Nigerian-born Salwa Naser.

Qatar was not to be outdone. Abdelelah Hassan who won men’s 400m gold for Qatar was born in Sudan, while their men’s 400m Hurdles gold medalist Abdurrahman Samba was born in Mauritania.

Qatar’s gold medalists, as well as Bahrain’s four gold medalists pipped Indians into second place silver medals in six events. With India winning seven golds in athletics to China and Bahrain’s 12 golds each, many in India believe, if not for the African imports, India would have topped the gold medal table with 13 and beaten

time in an Asian athletics event.

The Asian Games is the world’s second biggest multi- discipline sports event and the Jakarta Games saw 45 countries competing ranging from the West Asian Arab Gulf states, Central Asian former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan across South and Southeast Asia to Japan, China and Korea in East Asia.

When the Asian Games was

designed to be a celebration of the “Asian spirit” in the post-colonial era. But, it seems that this spirit is being seriously undermined by the medal-greedy rich Gulf states.

“One would have thought that there would be no need to bring in athletes from outside, but it seems a strategy from Bahrain and Qatar to punch above their weight on the sporting stage,” noted the

newspaper. Bahrain currently has a population of 1.5 million and Qatar 2.7 million with a GDP of $ 31.86 billion and $152.5 billion, respectively in 2016. To diversify their economies away from dependency on oil, they are now chasing the huge multi-billion-dollar market for staging major sporting events. Qatar is due to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and they also staged an Asian Games in 2006.

It all began in Doha

It was at these Games that the rut began. In the 2006 Doha Games, Kenya- born runners won the men’s 800m, 1500m, 5,000m, 10,000m, 3000m steeplechase and marathon for Qatar and Bahrain. At the 2010 Guangzhou Games, Bahrain and Qatar’s African runners again completely dominated the men’s long-distance track events, taking all six medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m In Incheon in 2014.

Bahrain’s Nigerian import Oluwakemi Adekoya won the women’s 400m just months after switching nationalities, to add to Kenyanborn teenager Ruth Jebet’s gold for the kingdom in the 3,000m steeplechase. Also, Alia Saeed Mohammed — originally from Ethiopia — won the 10,000m for neighboring United Arab Emirates.

It was the Japanese and Korean athletes that complained in 2014, pointing out that it was unfair to compete in an Asian event with athletes from Africa who are “taller and have a longer stride” which gives them an advantage.

Shifting alliances to win gold is not a recent fad though and it is not restricted to rich Arab nations. Cash-rich Western nations, such as the US and some European nations, have been at it for a while. Bernard Lagat, 1500m runner from Kenya moved to the US in 2005 and won

and World Championships.

South African middle- and long-distance runner Zola Budd took British citizenship to com-

Olympics, and switched allegiance back to South Africa when sporting boycotts were lifted and ran for her country of birth in the

have been many more such cases, especially in the past two decades.

“But, what raises eyebrows about the recent Qatari and Bahrainian cases is that they seem to be a part of a larger plan. They scout for talented athletes and when they start making their mark, persuade them to move over,” noted the

Citing IAAF stats, the newspaper said that there have been 21 requests of Kenyans wanting to move to Bahrain since 2012 along with 18 cases of Ethiopians. In total, 48 African athletes have moved to Bahrain between 2012 and 2017 and three have moved to Qatar.

“It has become abundantly clear with regular multiple transfer of athletes, especially from Africa, that the present rules are no longer

Sebastian Coe said recently. He - ish one’s international career with

the same vest you wore, when starting your career, with a few exceptions.

Abundant talent in Africa

But, African athletes have defended their actions in numerous interviews in recent years, arguing that because there is abundant talent in Africa, one should have the right to pursue one’s career elsewhere, to enjoy your moment of glory.

“Financial considerations are often at the heart of these cases,” argues

sports writer Tushar Bhaduri. “Most of these athletes come from humble backgrounds and the prospects them to move to another country.”

It is ironic that in the women’s 400m Bahrain’s Nigerian import Salwa Naser pushed India’s rising teenage star Himal Das to second place. Das comes from a very humble rural farming background, whose father allowed her to leave for Assam’s state capital Gauhati, telling her coach that if he could provide her with three meals a day, she could go.

earlier this year triggering wild celebrations in India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi sending her a special message of congratulations.

If this trend of African imports continues, Asian countries may have to ask the Arab Gulf states to join the African Games that are also held every four years. Arab countries Algiers, Morocco and Egypt are already part of the African Games and they do not take part in the Asian Games.

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