14 medals already and the Indian track-and-field contingent is on cue to pull off their most successful outing ever at the Asian Games.
Among the 14 podium finishes, 9 have been silver medals for India and apart from the, well, Indians wearing those medals, there’s something else in common. 6 of those 9 second-place finishes were behind athletes from Bahrain or Qatar. But that’s what is your ‘fun trivia of the day’: each of the Bahraini or Qatari athletes have roots in Africa!
In fact, a quick look at the medal tally of both countries shows that three of Qatar’s four athletics gold medals have come from athletes with African roots. And it gets better with Bahrain. The country’s only medals at the Asian Games so far have come in athletics, with all 9 golds being won by athletes born in Africa.
According to an Indian Express report, this seems to be a larger part of the plan by Qatar and Bahrain. Citing IAAF stats, it reports 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.
Moving the focus back to the Indians though, and here’s a look at how the passport exchange of these African athletes have affected our medal tally.
1. Dutee Chand Lost Twice to Bahrain’s Edidong Odiong from Nigeria
The Sprinter from Odisha who has made her way to the Asian Games after a long battle with Hyperandrogenism lost both her shots at gold to Bahrain's Edidong Odiong. Odiong hails from Nigeria but is representing Bahrain in the Asian Games, winning two medals for the country.
Had Dutee not faced the kind of challenge put up by Odiong, who knows, she might have won the gold – both times, perhaps.
2. Muhammad Anas Yahiya Lost Men's 400m to Qatar’s Hassan Abdalelah from Sudan
Men's sprinter Anas Yahiya missed his gold medal by less than a second's time to Qatar's Hassan Abdalelah.
Anas clocked 45.69 seconds to clinch the silver. The gold was won by Hassan Abdalelah of Qatar in 44.89 seconds.
Now, Abdalelah was also recruited from Sudan at a young age. His name was changed to an Arabic one as he gained eligibility to represent Qatar in February 2015.
3. Dharun Ayyasamy Lost Men's 400m Hurdles to Qatar’s Samba From Mauritania
Indian Athlete Dharun Ayyasamy claimed the silver medal in the men's 400 metres hurdles at the 18th Asian Games as he came second to Qatar's Abderrahman Samba, who is originally from Mauritania.
Samba, who is also the world's second fastest 400m hurdler ever, transferred his allegiance to Qatar in order to be eligible to compete for Qatar in international events in May 2016. He has been representing the Arab country in athletics ever since.
4. Hima Das Loses Out Women's 400m to Bahrain’s Salwa Naser from Nigeria
Assam's Hima Das won a silver medal in the women's 400m. She clocked 50.79s to break her own national record. Hima came second, behind Bahrain's Salwa Naser, originally from Nigeria.
Born in Nigeria, Naser has been representing Bahrain since 2014, winning a gold medal in 200m and 400m events at the Arab Junior Athletics Championships.
5. Sudha Singh Lost Women's 3000m Steeplechase to Yavi Winfred From Kenya
Veteran Indian long-distance runner Sudha Singh on Monday, 27 August clinched a silver in women's 3000m steeplechase event at the 18th Asian Games being held in Indonesia.
Sudha clocked 9 minutes 40.03 seconds to win her second Asian Games medal and took India’s medal tally up to 40 on day 10 of the Asian Games.
She came behind Yavi Winfred, a Kenyan who is representing Bahrain. The athlete shifted her allegiance to Bahrain in 2014, being eligible to perform for them till 2016.
The Kenyan has represented her adopted country in the 2017 World Championship that took place in London.
IAAF Looking Into The Trend
Now, although shifting allegiance is nothing new, but at the same time, its not always that someone from Africa shifts to the Middle East. For instance, Zola Budd, the famous long distance runner also took up British citizenship to carry on with her sporting ambitions as her country was struggling with the apartheid era. She, however, returned to playing for South Africa at the 1992 Olympics when things got normal.
Mor Farah, one of the most successful British athlete also migrated from Somalia as a teenager.
This trend has not gone unnoticed by IAAF. "It has become abundantly clear with regular multiple transfer of athletes, especially from Africa, that the present rules are no longer fit for purpose,” IAAF president Seb Coe was quoted by Indian Express as saying. “Ideally, the vest that you start your international career with is the vest you should end your international career with. With a few exceptions,” the IAAF president said.
The IAAF did change a few rules around nationality earlier this year. A waiting period of at least three years before an athlete moves to another country to represent them is one rule among the changed ones.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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