Fast indoor sprinting in October!

[26mi235]

how any of us can be xenophobes with respect to parts unknown on the arabian peninsula is beyond even the north star of track, the fount of wisdom, the moral compass of this body politic or even to me for that matter.

Huh! You're the last person I would expect to say something like that. :roll:

and what in the world does that mean?.. speak plainly young fellow.

I will admit to some xenophobia, namely that I consider it good when a US college recruits and gives scholarships to US citizens. When the Univ of NameaState gives a full ride to a 4:10 miler from whereeverabroad when there was a 4:20 miler right down the road I dont like it.

Does it make any difference if the athlete is from one of Wisconsin's northerly counties like Manitoba?

[tandfman]

well what about this guy: 6.56 Yahya Al-Kahes (Saudi Ariabia, NR)
Never heard of him.

2003 World Youth Champion.

[tafnut]

My position is that Qatar, for example, 'buys' an athlete from Kenya, for example, so that when the results are announced and the medals tallied up, Qatar is represented. It really does NOT matter where they are born, cf. Felix Sanchez or Sanya Richards, who star for nations that they were'nt initially raised in. The athletes move for personal reasons: money, better standard of living, family, etc.. I personally don't care what the reason is or what 'selfish' reasons either the nation OR the individuals do it for. That's their business. I, for one (and only?), really do give Qatar 'credit' for their new athlete, despite its obvious 'fakeness'. It was a deal that both parties bought into; it does not hurt anyone else (helps some Kenyans who get to make the team, once the star is gone), and doesn't change the bottom line of competition.

[jazzcyclist]

how any of us can be xenophobes with respect to parts unknown on the arabian peninsula is beyond even the north star of track, the fount of wisdom, the moral compass of this body politic or even to me for that matter.

Huh! You're the last person I would expect to say something like that. :roll:

and what in the world does that mean?.. speak plainly young fellow.

I will admit to some xenophobia, namely that I consider it good when a US college recruits and gives scholarships to US citizens. When the Univ of NameaState gives a full ride to a 4:10 miler from whereeverabroad when there was a 4:20 miler right down the road I dont like it.

Let's just say that I've notice flashes of nationalism/jingoism from you in the past, especially in matters dealing with that part of the world.

[eldrick]

if a domestic poster can't show some nationalism/jingoism on their own national board, what is the world coming to ?!

[paulthefan]

...Let's just say that I've notice flashes of nationalism/jingoism from you in the past, especially in matters dealing with that part of the world.

Thank you for your kind words, they are appreciated.

[cacique]

i'm not sure why you thought my reply was nasty, and since you probably have been here a while, you should probably have thicker skin than that.

i think there's a difference between an athlete, who immigrates to another country and then becomes a citizen, via the official channels and then represents that country. that is clearly NOT what Qatar and Bahrain are doing. even in the case of ramzi and francis, i'm sure their applications for citizenship were sped up and bypassed the official channels. i think these 2 nations' wholesale buying of athletes/mercenaries is a joke. what if other countries start doing the same? such as UAE, saudi arabia, brunei, etc. they certainly have enough money for that. all those dozens of kenyans that represent B & Q, they don't even live in those countries, have no ties to them, don't speak the language, can't even remember their new arabic names. that's quite an unsavory practice, not at all similar to athletes such as obikwelu, barber, lagat, ottey, may, etc. who at least have ties to their new countries and actually live there (some for many years before representing them). i can't say that all athletes changing nationalities never do it for opportunistic or monetary reasons, but with B&Q, it seems they are not even trying to disguise the whole mercenary aspect.

and finally, since you hardly know me, i don't think you can accuse me of being xenophobic or nasty.

[paulthefan]

....
and finally, since you hardly know me, i don't think you can accuse me of being xenophobic or nasty.

Exactly, names such as xenophobe should be reserved for guys like paulthefan who will appreciate them!

I love JC but when he attributes bad motives to someone like tafnut Im left to scratch my head and marvel at the paranoia that the best can fall under at times.

[jazzcyclist]

...Let's just say that I've notice flashes of nationalism/jingoism from you in the past, especially in matters dealing with that part of the world.

Thank you for your kind words, they are appreciated.

I also consider it to be a compliment to be a nationalist/jingoist on the "current events" forum, but not on the "things not T&F" forum. I'm as prejudiced as they come when the Olympics roll around. However, if you're proud of being a nationalist/jingoist when it comes to "things not t&f", then you've confirmed my suspicions.

[wamego relays champ]

Francis didn't have fast indoor time for same reason most Qataris don't: "indoors, what is this word indoors?"

From what I've read, indoor sports and recreation are becoming more and more popular in the region.

A nearby example:

http://www.skidubai.com/




__

[cacique]

Not to take this precisely down the road you were trying to ignore, what does "native Qatari" mean for Mansour? Do we know really where he was born? It's not in the Olympic archive. I can't imagine that the importation of labor hasn't existed there (as in all countries) for decades.

does it matter where he was born? he wasn't "imported" the way they are doing with the kenyans. all indications are that he was a product of their system, no? do we know otherwise?

[cacique]

Just curious, why are the asian championship meets always seem to be at the most random times of the year? Are their other meets going on there during the off months with results that aren't getting to westerners?

it does seem odd to me that the asian (outdoor) champs were held just a few months before the osaka world champs. no wonder, most chinese and japanese and other stars didn't show up. what's the point of holding a low-level competition and label it a continental competition?

[lupin]

Some are generalizing and saying Saudiarabia imports athletes but i would like them to name just one that is not saudi born.

I don't have any info of where Talal Mansour was born but i can tell u that he speaks arabic like a native and he looks qatari too

Qatar has talent (Ibrahim Ismail 44.66 was a born in doha) and they also have a pretty good system for developing athelets to world class level, problem is that they dont have a sports culture or tradition and i think only a few kids take up sports while a lot just do it for fun.
With a high standard of living and little interst in doing sport, imkporting athletes may be the solution for the country who is trying to gain world wide recognition.
It is also good for the Qatari people to encourage them to take up sports as probably the only sport that attract kids is football ( socccer ).
Further more importing athletes may be good for the athletes them selves for economic reasons ( they are human after all surviving and ensuring a good standard of living for them selves and families ) .
We peobably couldnt have seen these athelets performing the way they r in their original countries due to lack of funds or facilities, i mean would we have seen S. Francis go sub 10 this year if he was in Nigeria. I mean how many of us think if Nigeria or West Africa have the funds or facilities of say Qatar thatthey would entierly dominate sprints!!!

[cacique]

a little bit more background on our boy:

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Oct ... 432134.asp