Athletes Winning Medals For Other Countries

When Africa's high-flying athletes return from the Paris Olympics, there can be little doubt that they will bring back a wealth of achievement and perhaps some disappointment.

While we had a fair share of medals, some of our finest talents returned the gold to several other nation-states. It may be hard to accept, particularly because of why this operation takes place.

Another one that stuck in my mind was Winfred Yavi who absolutely destroyed the Olympic record for women's 3,000m steeplechase. However, she was doing so for Bahrain and not Kenya which is her country of birth. She said she switched in 2014 since, for all her efforts, she just couldn't get onto the Kenyan team. It is just sad that you had to come up with these talents then feel the need to leave because it never gave you an even shot.

This isn’t just about Yavi. Just the corruption somehow, when combined with no investment or at least poor treatment to all others that feel pushed out there. Annette Echikunwoke, a hammer thrower who was denied the chance to compete for Nigeria in Tokyo after her home country's testing failures come to mind.

Instead, she came away with a silver this year representing the United States. It pisses me off, the way these blunders are costing us.

In Paris, Nigeria did not win a single medal and nobody has been prepared to say sorry, only promise that they are looking into their processes. But apologies aren’t enough. Our athletes deserve better.

The tale of Sifan Hassan also springs to mind. Born in Ethiopia, she had to leave her country and arrived as a refugee to Holland. She is a three time Olympic gold medalist and she previously captured the title in Paris. On the one hand, it's heart-warming to see what people can make of their lives with a helping hand, it's just sad that Africa could not be where she got her break.

It is no longer enough just to bank on natural advantages like the high altitudes of Kenya. Some of the best talents that working at Zalad are lost because we refuse to adapt.

Sports science and technology are not optional, they are now a necessity. We have to identify talent young and allow it grow, otherwise we will continue to witness our stars twinkling for numerous other flags.
We can be better than that. Certainly our athletes have proven that they can get to the top, however it is up to us all ensure those achievements are in a home shirt rather than on behalf of another country.

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