A Kenyan runner who defected to Bahrain has lost his citizenship and his livelihood after becoming the first Arab athlete to compete in Israel. Authorities in Bahrain have told Mushir Salem Jawher that he is no longer welcome in the emirate after he took part in the annual Tiberias marathon in northern Israel.

Meanwhile, Kenya has told the athlete that he has forfeited the right to represent the country of his birth. He may also face police charges because the Kenyan passport he used to enter Israel was no longer valid, as the country does not recognise dual citizenship.

Jawher won the event, his first marathon, in 2 hours, 13 minutes and 12 seconds, and made history by becoming the first Arab athlete to compete in Israel. His moment of glory soured when Bahrain decided to take action against the runner, who was granted citizenship in 2004. In common with most Arab nations, it does not recognise Israel and its citizens cannot represent their country at events in the Jewish state.

“Mushir Salim Jawhar . . . has taken a personal initiative to participate in the marathon and was not representing Bahrain,” Sheikh Fawaz bin Muhammad al-Khalifa, the head of Bahrain’s General Organisation for Youth and Sports, said. “He participated using his Kenyan passport and had travelled to Israel from Kenya. We have stripped him of his Bahraini passport.”

Bahrain’s athletes’ union said: “The union deeply regrets what the athlete has done”, and added that Jawher’s name had been struck off its register.

A record 900 athletes, including 21 from Kenya, took part in the Tiberias marathon, which is run around the Sea of Galilee. After winning, Jawher told The Jerusalem Post that he was “very proud” of running in Israel. He said it was “a free country” and “people should live together in harmony”.

Jawher told the newspaper: “When I decided to come I didn’t know it was history for me to be here.

“For me it was no problem and I hope to come back and compete next year.”

Yehoshua Dekel, head of the Israeli Sports Authority, said that he hoped it would encourage athletes from other Arab countries to take part next year. “Sport is a true bridge between people,” he said.

Jawher is one of dozens of African athletes who have left their homelands to represent Arab states, such as Bahrain and Qatar, in return for tax-free salaries and lavish accommodation. Born Leonard Mucheru in Kenya in 1978, he moved to Bahrain in 2003, where he took an Arab name, according to the International Association of Athletics Federations.

He represented Kenya internationally in 3,000m and 10,000m events until December 2003, when he appeared under his new name and under Bahraini colours in Catania, Italy. In Feburary 2004 he represented Bahrain at the Asian Indoor Championships in Tehran, winning the 3,000m.

He is still highly regarded in Kenya but will have to wait at least three years before being able to wear the national colours. David Okeyo, secretary-general of Athletics Kenya, said: “Mucheru is a very good athlete. There is no doubt about it but he is in a very difficult situation.”

New colours

Other Kenyan athletes to have changed nationality include runners Margaret Maury (France) and Wilson Kipketer (Denmark)

Source: IAAF, agencies

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