Guest guest Posted March 8, 2001 Report Share Posted March 8, 2001 Owen of 'Running Research News' had this to say regarding discussions about African runners. He has studied the Kenyans quite extensively. [Owen's 'Running Research News' is an excellent and highly informative newsletter - well worth subscribing to if you are a runner or running coach. Mel Siff ] The discussion centered around a posting about Nandi, the home of the Kalenjin people. The point was that 20% of the population has provided 72% of Kenya's top runners. Owen believes that the statistics are off. Here are his remarks: The Kalenjin are spread all over western Kenya; the Nandi are one of the seven sub-groups of the Kalenjin tribe. They definitely make up less than 20 percent of the population. Have they provided 72 percent of Kenya's top runners? Maybe if you count Olympic or World Championship medals; I'll have to do it. Maybe if you look at road-race wins. Amazingly enough, within Kenya the answer is different. The Kalenjins are preferentially chosen for national and international teams because the current president of Kenya is Kalenjin. Sometimes Kalenjins are chosen over equal or faster Kikuyu or Kisii or Masai. If the other tribes were given an equal chance, we'd see a lot more diversity at the international competitions. [Much the same situation took place during the apartheid days in South Africa where it was rare to find people of colour in many sports because they were not chosen, could not be elected to administrative positions, were actively discouraged, received minimal funding or given minimal facilities. This is a most relevant issue that Owen raises. Mel Siff] Yours, Ken Jakalski Lisle, Illinois Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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