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ghost
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 1693
Location: Saudi Arabia
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 Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:21 am Post subject: Work class Kenyan and Moroccan runners in Quatar and Bahrein |
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One is curious. Do the world class runners from Quatar and Bahrein, who originally came from Kenya and Morocco actually ever live and train in Quatar and Bahrein?
One has to remember that the Gulf countries have torrid climates, hardly conducive to training for long distance running. At most, a few months in winter would be ok.
Stephen Cherono (now Saeed Shafeen of Quatar!) came from Kenya to run for Quatar, and became Olympic 3000 steeple champion. Cherono (oops....Shafeen!) told the press that he ''invested'' his future in Quatar because the Quatari Athletics Federation guaranteed Shaheen (ex. Cherono) $1000 for life if he switched nationalties.
Rachid Ramzi (Bahrein, ex. Morocco) who did not have to change his name because he was already a Muslim, has a similar sweet deal in Bahrein, but reportedly earns more money than Shafeen.
This country hopping is somewhat bizarre and artificial, all the more so because the sports followers in the Gulf countries are not exactly fervent track and running followers.
Opinions comments?
Ghost (ghost has a best time of 2:30 for the marathon) |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:24 am Post subject: |
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The only thing I know is that Qatar has no 'u' ... 
At least not in English or Arabic...
VS |
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Undercover Brother
Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 6
Location: not here for long
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| Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:08 am Post subject: |
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Here's info about Rashid Ramzi: http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=25859.html
It sounds like he trains in Bahrain.
Country hopping makes sense in T&F if you're going from a poorer country to a wealthy one--better lifestyle, better sponsors, better coaches (or at least more money to pay for a better coach) and better facilities. |
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Afra
Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Posts: 389
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| Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 3:29 am Post subject: |
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| Many UAE athletes train in the country during the winter months and in Europe in the summer, often the former Soviet bloc countries. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Ghost, it is not restricted to Bahrain and Qatar.
Turkey's greatest athlete, Elvan, is actually Ethiopian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvan_Abeylegesse
Zola Budd? Why was she British/English?
Have a look at Rugby. How many all blacks and Aussies are in the Scotland team?
Oh yeah, one of England's most prolific strikers, Michael Owen.... He's Welsh. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
Ghost, it is not restricted to Bahrain and Qatar.
Turkey's greatest athlete, Elvan, is actually Ethiopian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvan_Abeylegesse
Zola Budd? Why was she British/English?
Have a look at Rugby. How many all blacks and Aussies are in the Scotland team?
Oh yeah, one of England's most prolific strikers, Michael Owen.... He's Welsh. |
Zinedine Zidane is a former French football player of an Algerian origins, was elected FIFA World Player of the Year a record-equalling three times (1998, 2000, 2003) and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1998. The world-record fee of � 66 million for his transfer to Real Madrid in 2001 remains unequalled.
This is the life of sport stars, they look for better sport environment, and of course, for better life. This is natural, like the English teachers; also, they look for better work environment and better life and better salary, specially in the Middle East. So, it�s the same rules of life!  |
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ghost
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 1693
Location: Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:19 pm Post subject: The truth of the matter |
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Yes - it is true that other sports people switch nationalities....but Zidane is not a good example because he was born in France and was always French, and he doesn't even know how to read Arabic.
The situation with the Kenyans joining the Qatar team is somewhat different though, because, to one's knowledge they (the Kenyans) spend no time at all in Qatar, and train in Kenya and Europe. Even Cherono (Shafeen), by his own admission, stated that his contract with Qatar is a purely economic one, as the Qatari Federation has guaranteed Shafeen $1000 U.S. per month for life if he wore their jersey in competitions, which he has done.
So really, the Kenyans who run for Qatar are pure mercenaries and nothing else, and they themselves have admitted it. Nothing wrong with that, but at the end of the day, if this type of country hopping continues, then the true nature of national origin in world competitions and Olympic Games will become meaningless.
Also, these athletes running for Qatar and Bahrein should be role models for the youth of the country, but one doubts very much whether the star runners from Kenya and Morocco have encouraged the Emiratis to start training in distance running.
A scan of the results of the 2006 Dubai Marathon and 10km run revealed that the vast majority of the field (basically 99%) was composed of expats and Philippinos, Sri Lankans and Iranians. One really had to search the results very deeply to find any native emiratis in the fields (whether in the Marathon or 10km event) and those emiratis who did participate were relegated to the back of the field. The point one is making is to ask whether this investment in foreign runners is actually paying dividends, or is it, as one suspects, just a propaganda exercise by the Federation who have the money to ''buy'' runners from overseas?
Ghost |
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Sheikh Inal Ovar
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School
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| Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2006 4:17 am Post subject: Re: The truth of the matter |
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| ghost wrote: |
and those emiratis who did participate were relegated to the back of the field
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Why? Couldn't they navigate their Nissan through the crowd? |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2006 8:53 am Post subject: |
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So really, the Kenyans who run for Qatar are pure mercenaries and nothing else |
No different than EFL teachers in the Gulf. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:41 am Post subject: |
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if this type of country hopping continues, then the true nature of national origin in world competitions and Olympic Games will become meaningless.
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And so we will return to the original Olympic spirit where countries where considered unimportant. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2006 3:17 pm Post subject: Re: The truth of the matter |
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| ghost wrote: |
| ...The point one is making is to ask whether this investment in foreign runners is actually paying dividends, or is it, as one suspects, just a propaganda exercise by the Federation who have the money to ''buy'' runners from overseas? Ghost |
The same thing happening in other sectors, such as education and military sector, where with their money are buying teachers, directors, supervisors, pilots, soldiers, airport police, doctors, etc. But, with money a nation or a country cannot buy or transfer a sport culture or any other type of culture! Even the style of their life is superficial (consumer society). |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Why should they run when they can have slaves do it for them ? The same question applies to teaching and other menial pursuits. |
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ghost
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 1693
Location: Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
| Why should they run when they can have slaves do it for them ? The same question applies to teaching and other menial pursuits. |
This is true....running and jogging are seen as basically frivolous pursuits by most people in Qatar, Bahrein, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi....although Saudi does have a few world class runners who are actually from Saudi, and yes Saudi Arabia has high altitude mountains (circa 1800m plus) where those athletes train.....in cool temps....
The point one is making is that the afore mentioned countries do not really have any sporting culture, although Saudi has an honorable and surprisingly proficient soccer team -
Runners from Kenya and Morocco...are those runners really valued and recognized in Qatar and the neighboring countries? Do the people really feel a sense of pride when Shaheen and Ramzi win their World class races? one doubts it....
It is unlikely that this situation will change, because the youth in countries where per capita incomes are high in the Gulf region, are unlikely to feel motivated to train for high level athletic competions, when they can spend their time in more frivolous and expensive pursuits.
The litmus test would be to actually quiz people in Doha, Dubai, Kuwait City, Abu Dahbi, etc.....and ask them what they think about Shaheen and Ramzi....and in most cases the natives of those cities will not even have heard of those athletes......
So, really, it is a propaganda exercise, but the sad part is that all that energy and productivity on the running tracks do not filter down to the grass roots level, and it would be an impossible task to change a social culture which does not view long distance running in high estime.
ghost |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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But they ARE frivolous pursuits !
Maybe the Qataris and Bahrainis are right ! |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Saudi has an honorable and surprisingly proficient soccer team |
What on earth is an honourable football team (I am not American, and therefore do not use the word 'soccer')??? I'm dying to know. Seriously.
And while we're on the subject, given that KSA have never managed to get beyond the opening round in any World Cup, and the only reason they often qualify at all is because they are in a really lousy qualifying group, what do you mean by describing them as 'proficient'? Who can forget their 9-1 (???) drubbing by Germany? Or their 4-0 loss to the might of Ukraine?
BTW I share Scot's sentiments about the frivolity (?) of jogging. Yes, yes, I know the health benefits thereof, but still cannot observe someone engaged in htis activity without thinking how ridiculous they look. |
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