Farce as Cherono switches allegiance

Did he like it? "I didn't choose it; they just gave it to me," he smiled, reckoning he was "very happy" about the arrangement even though he would find himself in the bizarre position here of trying to beat his brother Abraham in the steeplechase.

The IAAF have been powerless to stop the transfer of Cherono and another top Kenyan runner, 10,000m man Albert Chepkurui - now Ahmad Hassan Abdullah - to Qatar because both national federations agreed to waive the regulations which normally force athletes to wait until 2007 to make their championship debuts for their adopted country.

The impoverished Kenyan federation did not want to lose the dazzling Cherono, who tops the world rankings at both steeplechase and 5,000m, but it has been alleged they eventually agreed to trade the pair in exchange for " development assistance" from Qatar, including the financing of an allweather track and renovation of a stadium in the Rift Valley.

The Kenyans deny this but Qatar's riches are certainly very persuasive in their bid to become the Gulf 's super-power not just in athletics but all sports. They imported six Bulgarian weightlifters for £600,000 to boost their last Olympic bid while this week Gabriel Batistuta signed a two-year, £5million contract to play for a top Qatari football club and help coach its top youngsters.

"We can't complain (about losing Cherono) because every one has a right to his own destiny," said Kenyan legend and now Olympic committee chief Kip Keino. He was reminded of the great 800m man Wilson Kipketer's defection but at least Kipketer had lived and worked in Denmark for three years before winning medals for them.

IAAF Council members have complained here this week about the transfers, prompting general secretary Istvan Gyulai to announce the Federation is trying to find a balance which will stop athletes gaining new citizenship for simple commercial gain, while still giving those seeking a change on political or human rights grounds a fair chance to compete.

Standard Sport recently highlighted the plight of Cuban exile Yamile Aldama, who is married to a Briton, lives in London and has a British son yet cannot get clearance to compete for either country in the triple jump here. What is she going to think when she sees a man with absolutely no association with Qatar become its first world track champion?