Sumariwalla unhappy with African influx
MUMBAI: India’s tally of 15 gold medals at the recently concluded Asian Games in Jakarta could have been 23 if not for the strategy undertaken by some Arab countries in recruiting the finest talent from Africa to represent them.
While this policy to scout and offer nationality to athletes from outside the country is legal, India’s Athletics Federation (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla has condemned the middle eastern nations for their in treatment of the Africans, labeling it ‘human trafficking’ in sport.
“My strong views are that athletes are used and thrown out. What the Arab countries are doing is absolutely wrong,” said Sumariwalla at a discussion organised by the Sports Journalists’ Association of Mumbai on Wednesday. “They are not being given citizenships and instead being given residency on a fake passport, on the basis of which they are participating. Once they finish, they are thrown out. Now that is human trafficking.”
Emphasising on the need for countries that use ‘naturalised’ talent to win laurels, he said athletes who choose to cross over – seeking better pay and standard of living — should be given full citizenship before they can represent their new country.
“I am dead against human trafficking, which is happening today. They must be given full citizenship. Now, in places like Qatar, the constitution doesn’t allow it. So, whatever happened in the past is done but moving forward they either have to change their constitution or grant the athletes full citizenship.”
Dutee Chand was twice beaten to the top spot by Nigerian-turned Bahraini Edidiong Odiong. Hima Das and Sudha Singh also surrendered first position to Salwa Naser and Winfred Yavi — both African imports to Bahrain. The Indian mixed relay team also stood second to Bahrain’s.
Qatar, following suit, beat India to top of the podium in three events in which they were represented by African-born athletes.
But Sumariwalla, also a council member of the world athletics body IAAF, argued that the presence of runners from the African continent should not be a stumbling block for Indian athletes.
“We need to fight at the world level. And to fight at the world level we need to be able to fight the African’s at all levels. So, whether they are there or not should not be critical. Any of the top athletes will tell you: ‘We have to run here (Asian Games) and at the Olympics’ so it doesn’t matter,” Sumariwalla said.