Bahraini.TV

Champion Bahraini runner Mariam Jamal, originally from Ethiopia, has helped put Bahrain’s name on the map in the world of women’s athletics. No stranger to controversy, Ms Jamal was condemned by a Bahrain MP for allegedly wearing indecent sportswear when she won gold in the 3,000-metres at the Oslo Golden League last year. But she weathered the controversy to win more awards and accolades, including the overall title in the 18th Arab Cross Country Championship at the Equestrian and Horseracing Club in Sakhir last week.

How did you develop your passion and talent for running?

The village I come from in Ethiopia is called Arsi and I had to wake up really early to run to school. I had to run about 15 kilometres to school every day, uphill, downhill, on flat lands and through forest areas. I started to run in competitions when I was 15 in high school and I won several school championships. Later on I continued to compete in sports clubs and won junior championships. Arsi is also a place where a lot of famous Ethiopian athletes hail from. There isn’t much investment in sports in Ethiopia, but the nature of life there encourages people to be athletic. Being able to run is a great advantage in Ethiopia.

How did you start running for Bahrain?

I went to Switzerland as an asylum-seeker 2002 to escape discrimination in Ethiopia. Our ethnic group is called the Oromo, which is the majority but different from the government’s ethnic group. Although Ethiopia is poor, our areas are rich and the government has tried to exploit us, so I left for Switzerland where I married my husband Tariq in 2003. While we were there we tried to get Swiss nationality, but we couldn’t. We applied to get citizenship with four other countries, France, Turkey, Canada and Bahrain. We chose Bahrain because we knew some people living in Qatar, also athletes, who told us that Bahrain is a good place to be.

But you spend most of your time in Switzerland. How come?

We spend about six months in Switzerland but we still visit Bahrain at least once a month. The reason we still live in Switzerland is because the weather is more ideal for training and because it has excellent sporting facilities. It’s harder to train in Bahrain because it’s too hot, especially for such a high level of competition. But I am proud to run for Bahrain. Bahrainis have been very supportive

What about the incident in which a Bahraini MP condemned you in the local Press for wearing so-called ‘indecent’ sportswear because it left your stomach, arms and legs uncovered?

We only came to know about the controversy through the GDN website and I welcome this opportunity to explain my position. I didn’t like to be dressed that way anyway and if it was up to me and my husband, I wouldn’t have. But I was being sponsored by Adidas at the time and they didn’t have more modest clothing for me to wear. I had no choice but to wear their outfits to fulfil my contractual obligations. Now, however, I am sponsored by Nike, which has given me clothing that is more modest – and there won’t be any effect in my athletic performance as a result. But that incident aside, Bahrainis have been very welcoming and the authorities very supportive, especially General Organisation for Youth and Sports (Goys) President Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and everyone else at Goys. I was also very happy to meet His Majesty King Hamad, who was very pleased with my achievements.

What does the future hold for you, both professionally and in your personal life?

Well, I will continue to run for Bahrain in events around the world. My husband and I don’t plan to have children for the time being, although we may do so after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. There I expect I’ll be running either the 1,500m or the 5,000m. It’s still two years away and too early to know.
GDN :: 60 Second Interview by Tariq Khonji :: 17 Apr ’06