Bahraini east Africans, why no controversy?

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  • sandybeaver
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    3 years ago 08/14/2016 8:25am CDT
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    Watching the OG this year I noticed a lot of Kenyans and Ethiopians running for Bahrain. I looked up the Bahrain Olympic T&F team and found that out of 24 total competitors probably 13 (my guess based on names, possibly more if they change their names to something more Muslim) are from one of those 2 countries with a couple more appearing to be foreign as well. I know this has been common practice for some time among Qatar and Bahrain:

    http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1028893/mike-rowbottom-three-jamaican-athletes-heading-for-bahrain-a-transfer-of-allegiance-or-a-breakdown-in-sporting-morality

    http://in.reuters.com/article/games-asian-athletics-africa-idINKCN0HO0BP20140929

    Why is this not a real controversy? I've never heard anyone comment on it on any streams despite mentioning the fact that some of the Bahraini athletes are from Africa. No one is willing to explain this. Seems like a morality violation that could be easily latched on to by people that care about the morality and sporting purity of the Olympics.
  • letsracer
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 8:35am CDT
    re: sandybeaver
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    All of the Bahrani runners are from Africa. This has been going on for decades. They pay good runners to take up Bahrani citizenship. Unless you are super patriotic, why not.
  • ceviche
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 9:03am CDT
    re: sandybeaver
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    David Torrence is running for Peru. What's the problem?
  • Luv2Run
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    3 years ago 08/14/2016 9:06am CDT
    re: sandybeaver
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    So people should not be able to seek a better life?

    I assume your line about morality and purity in Olympics is sarcasm. or naivety?

    The rules allow for such transfers and they should.
  • Has Selfish Concerns
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 9:18am CDT
    re: luv2run
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    Rashid Ramzi, of course, was a Moroccan running for Bahrain
  • Run Doctor
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 9:29am CDT
    re: Has Selfish Concerns
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    Alexi Pappad for Greece. No problem with that either.
  • byebyeshalane
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 9:38am CDT
    re: Run Doctor
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    Sandy Richards, Kerron Clement, Hassan Mead, Bernard Lagat, and about a gazillion other other immigrants are running for the US. What's the problem?
  • coach
    registered
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 9:44am CDT
    re: byebyeshalane
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    Some people also find it a problem that Lagat and others run for the US.
    Sanya has been in the US since she was a school girl.
  • Metric Miler
    registered
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 9:46am CDT
    re: sandybeaver
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    sandybeaver wrote:

    Watching the OG this year I noticed a lot of Kenyans and Ethiopians running for Bahrain. I looked up the Bahrain Olympic T&F team and found that out of 24 total competitors probably 13 (my guess based on names, possibly more if they change their names to something more Muslim) are from one of those 2 countries with a couple more appearing to be foreign as well. I know this has been common practice for some time among Qatar and Bahrain:

    http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1028893/mike-rowbottom-three-jamaican-athletes-heading-for-bahrain-a-transfer-of-allegiance-or-a-breakdown-in-sporting-morality

    http://in.reuters.com/article/games-asian-athletics-africa-idINKCN0HO0BP20140929

    Why is this not a real controversy? I've never heard anyone comment on it on any streams despite mentioning the fact that some of the Bahraini athletes are from Africa. No one is willing to explain this. Seems like a morality violation that could be easily latched on to by people that care about the morality and sporting purity of the Olympics.

    You must have been living in a cave.

    The BBC commentary constantly goes on about this fact in pretty much every event containing Bahrain, Qatar or Turkey.

    Seb Coe has also talked about it extensively and he wants to change the rules.
  • Bahrain pays
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 10:14am CDT
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    Bahrain buys it's athletes. Been going on for the last 10 years. They have two sprinters in the 100 semi's from Jamaica. And, they are paid very well.
  • Zlatan
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    3 years ago 08/14/2016 10:16am CDT
    re: byebyeshalane
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    That's completely different. Bahrain buys athletes. Some Turkish athletes have never set foot in Turkey.
  • jeff tallon
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    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:03am CDT
    re: sandybeaver
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    as far as i know the entire bahraini team is made up of kenyans,ethiopians jamaicans nigerians and moroccans.its been going on for a long time.and as for qatar,its likely their only real qatari athlete is the famale 400 meter runner.both countries have been buying africans for a very long time,and none of them actually live in those countries..turkey and azerbaijan also buys athletes.
  • JimmyMcJimson
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:11am CDT
    re: jeff tallon
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    Qatar's got the great high jumper Barshim, his dad was an athlete and he actually grew up there, if I remember the backstory correctly. It is true most of Qatar and Bahrain's athletes aren't from there, but this is noted by the British announcers often (see: today's marathon coverage)
  • driss dacha
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:18am CDT
    re: ceviche
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    good job bro and good remark
    bahrain know how to invest in sport ,why the bahrain ironman r offering 1 million dollar to the winner of (traithlon chalenge winner )swiss lady picked up the purse last year ,the country is collecting the eggs(lot middle east )people start to get hooked to the sport ,today the country collected a silver medal ,talking money i believe the bronze medalist today at the marathon is making less money than the first american (7th overal)lady today ,because she is amrican but the bronze medalist is african ,lot injustice
  • gutsisenough
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:23am CDT
    re: driss dacha
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    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/83149140/A-lot-of-top-guys-are-dirty-claims-Zane-Robertson-after-breaking-NZ-10-000m-record
  • wenuhdope
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:29am CDT
    re: byebyeshalane
    Forum Index
    byebyeshalane wrote:

    Sandy Richards, Kerron Clement, Hassan Mead, Bernard Lagat, and about a gazillion other other immigrants are running for the US. What's the problem?
  • colinphillips
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:40am CDT
    re: Zlatan
    Forum Index
    Some athletes run because Nike pays them. Some athletes run because they're from a wealthy country that pays elite competitors for Olympic visibility.

    Some come from a country where running is controlled by Athletics Kenya, and where even Mary Keitany can't be sure of an Olympic start. Little surprise that some are happy to run for a wealthy government that is able to offer them a standard of living and international starts that they couldn't otherwise get.

    Question (I don't know the answer): if an athlete gets injured or underperforms, which paymaster is more ruthless, Nike or Bahrain?
  • Conundrum
    registered
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:46am CDT
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    luv2run wrote:

    byebyeshalane wrote:

    Sandy Richards, Kerron Clement, Hassan Mead, Bernard Lagat, and about a gazillion other other immigrants are running for the US. What's the problem?

    While I am all for freedom of movement, I also think there are gradations of difference. For instance, Meb came to the US as a child. He was not recruited as a great runner.

    Others are basically free agents.

    Also, I think some many of us (Americans and Europeans) see our citizenship as more important than people in some other countries do. In some areas (Middle East comes to mind) the boundaries are recent and tribal affiliation probably has more importance. Plus, someone offers you many, many times the average annual income for your country and you want to take care of your family and it has to be tempting. We (Americans and Europeans) have so many options to make a good living that we have a hard time understanding what real poverty is.


    Your point about Mo being a different situation because he came over as a child is a good one.

    I certainly understand why athletes would want to run for another country if they are paid well.

    But I think the OP has a point if countries are paying to have fast athletes run for them and are given a quick paper citizenship to allow this to happen. I think some residency requires such as length of time as citizen of the country you are representing would be in keeping with the spirit of the Olympics.
  • coach
    registered
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 11:59am CDT
    re: Conundrum
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    Clement, Richards, Mead, immigrated to the US with their families when they were kids, very different then being adults who came over just to run.
  • Metric Miler
    registered
    3 years ago 08/14/2016 12:08pm CDT
    re: Conundrum
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    Conundrum wrote:

    luv2run wrote:

    byebyeshalane wrote:

    Sandy Richards, Kerron Clement, Hassan Mead, Bernard Lagat, and about a gazillion other other immigrants are running for the US. What's the problem?

    While I am all for freedom of movement, I also think there are gradations of difference. For instance, Meb came to the US as a child. He was not recruited as a great runner.

    Others are basically free agents.

    Also, I think some many of us (Americans and Europeans) see our citizenship as more important than people in some other countries do. In some areas (Middle East comes to mind) the boundaries are recent and tribal affiliation probably has more importance. Plus, someone offers you many, many times the average annual income for your country and you want to take care of your family and it has to be tempting. We (Americans and Europeans) have so many options to make a good living that we have a hard time understanding what real poverty is.


    Your point about Mo being a different situation because he came over as a child is a good one.

    I certainly understand why athletes would want to run for another country if they are paid well.

    But I think the OP has a point if countries are paying to have fast athletes run for them and are given a quick paper citizenship to allow this to happen. I think some residency requires such as length of time as citizen of the country you are representing would be in keeping with the spirit of the Olympics.


    Countries are, and have done, for years. This is not new. I am amazed people did not realise that all the kiprotich's etc. running for the middle east are not actually Arabs.

    This is well known and has been talked about extensively.