Nairobi, Kenya — As Africa’s Olympic athletes come house from Paris, the continent’s sports activities followers can not help however marvel what may need been. Whereas African nations claimed dozens of medals in Paris, a number of African-born-and-raised athletes received gold for different nations.
Specialists warn {that a} lack of funding in sports activities and different points might immediate extra African athletes to change nationalities.
African groups received 38 medals on the Paris Olympics. Kenya received essentially the most with 11.
However Kenya might have claimed one other gold had one in all its athletes not chosen to symbolize Bahrain. Winfred Yavi received gold within the girls’s 3,000-meter steeplechase and even broke the Olympic file.
Yavi instructed Kenyan media that she modified her nationality in 2014 after failing to get picked for the Kenyan workforce on a number of makes an attempt.
Her coach Gregory Kilonzo, who coaches different athletes from Bahrain, instructed VOA there are lots of incentives that may lead an athlete to symbolize one other nation.
“Right here in Bahrain, we go on to the Olympics. We do not go for trials as a result of we aren’t many,” Kilonzo stated. “Kenya, we go nationwide, we go trials. After which Bahrain pays properly. They’re severe with their athletes. They deal with their athletes. They pay salaries for the athletes each month. When you get sick, they take you to different nations for medical care.”
Hammer thrower Annette Echikunwoke was denied an opportunity to symbolize Nigeria on the 2020 Tokyo Video games due to the nation’s non-compliance with drug testing necessities. This yr, she competed for the USA and earned a silver medal.
In the meantime, Nigerian athletes competed in 12 occasions in Paris and returned house with no single gold, silver or bronze. Nigerian officers apologized for the dismal efficiency and stated they may overview how individuals are elected to steer the sporting federation.
Different athletes have left Africa to flee poverty, violence or political oppression. Sifan Hassan, an Ethiopian native, fled her nation as a refugee and settled within the Netherlands in 2008. She has since received three Olympic golds for her nation, together with the ladies’s marathon Sunday in Paris.
African athletes who’ve modified allegiance have complained of an absence of excellent sporting amenities that cater to their coaching wants, an absence of excellent pay and corrupt officers favoring some athletes over others.
Richard Wanjohi is a researcher with the African Sports activities and Artistic Institute, a company that helps African sports activities by analysis, advisory and advocacy. He stated the pattern of African athletes abandoning their beginning nations creates issues which will have an effect on African efficiency in future competitions, significantly in the event that they lose younger athletes.
“You see individuals transitioning perhaps between the age of 18 to 21 years, and that is significantly younger even within the athletics area and different sporting disciplines that they compete in,” he stated, including that that creates a lack of expertise nationally. “As soon as these people transfer, you aren’t in a position to get illustration as a rustic. And even when you could have illustration, [it] isn’t the perfect expertise you’ll have.”
To forestall promising athletes from leaving, sports activities followers on the continent need officers to identify expertise amongst school-age kids and provides them the coaching they should compete on the worldwide stage.
Some observers say African nations additionally must spend money on sports activities science and expertise. Thus far, most nations have relied on pure benefits resembling East Africa’s excessive altitude to coach its athletes.
Retired middle-distance runner Martin Keino of Kenya stated such strategies might not work sooner or later.
“If our nations can spend money on sports activities science and expertise — as a result of expertise has a huge effect on sports activities — and if a nation would not make the most of expertise, you might be uncompetitive on the worldwide stage,” Keino stated.
If Africa fails to harness the facility of sports activities science, Keino stated, African athletes will fail to win medals, and will not even make it to the finals.
