Kenya has established herself as a source of international distance running talent. However, due to the economic inequality and other factors, global migration of athletes is on the increase. One notable example is that of athletes born in Kenya, who have moved abroad to represent other countries. Initially, the trend was to move to the USA, Europe or Japan, but of late the Middle East countries of Qatar and Bahrain have become popular destinations. The purpose of this article is to delve into the Kenyan distance running phenomenon, the migration of athletes and the consequences on some selected athletes using sport labour migration and the typologies of migrant athletes developed by Maguire (1999, Global sport: Individuals, societies, civilizations. Cambridge: Polity Press) and Magee and Sugden (2002, The world at their feet: Professional football and international labor migration. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 26(4), 421-437) as the conceptual framework. This movement of athletic talent also poses major social and political challenges to the migrant athletes. Some of the athletes who moved to the Middle East from Kenya have had negative experiences forcing them to re-claim their Kenyan citizenship. This issue of athlete labour migration and related consequences, therefore, deserves some scholarly attention. © 2012 Copyright 2012 Canadian Association for Leisure Studies / Association canadienne d'études en loisir.

distance running commercialization athletics labour migration international association of athletics federations globalization Inequality

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