Gulf shows the money

AT the heart of the exodus of athletes from across the world to the Gulf seems to be nothing else but Money.

AT the heart of the exodus of athletes from across the world to the Gulf seems to be nothing else but Money. Contrary to the popular notion that only athletes from Kenya or the financially stretched countries of Eastern Africa migrate, the list also includes Chinese, East Europeans and Latin Americans. After all, on offer are packages that can change the minds of the strongest.

On an average, the deal includes a 8216;signing on8217; fee in the vicinity of 250,000, plus 5,000 a month for life by the government. The athletes can also keep their earnings, as well as lucrative income from endorsements, and neither do they attract any taxes. And not to forget about the bonus, generally over 100,000, they get for breaking records. The competition between Bahrain and Qatar to bolster their tally in the sporting arena makes it a sort of 8216;bidding8217; for the best.

The Trend: It gained momentum in the early 90s, and today the number has crossed hundred. It is not only the Middle Eastern countries the athletes are going to, nor is this a recent development. Zola Budd was parachuted from her native South Africa into the Great Britain team for the 1984 Olympics, and Kenyan world record holder Wilson Kipkater and Lorna Kiplagat switched to Denmark and the Netherlands respectively. France has also been a culprit. Initially, the attraction was the US Collegiate system but now the petro-dollars of the Gulf are too mouth-watering to ignore.

Alternate approach: Bahrain8217;s women8217;s 200m Doha champion Ruqaya Al Ghasara and the all-Saudi Arabian team, under the tutelage of American John Smith, which won five gold medals at the Doha Games showed that homegrown talent can also produce the goods for the Gulf States. Ironically, it was Saudi Arabia that started the practice of importing athletes. But they were quick to understand the limitations of the set-up and reverted to investing in local talents. Their sole foreign investment now is in hiring arguably the best coach in the world, John Smith. The Jamaican-born coach, a former world record holder, was behind the Saudis8217; phenomenal and unexpected success at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, where they finished top of the medals table in athletics, without ever having won a gold in the competition. That may be food for thought for the Gulf States.