Will Switzerland have a new world-class runner soon?

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A year ago, the athletic world rubbed its eyes. Dominic Lobalu (24), a refugee from South Sudan who has been living in Switzerland for four years, was stunned by the competition. It was in July 2022 when he left his opponent around world champion Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm and won the race over 3000 m in 7: 29.48 minutes. At the beginning of September in Brussels, he finished fourth in the 5000m in Brussels, and in the competitions he competed in after that, he proved time and time again that he was world class.

Sounds like a great story, maybe it will be. But right now she is also very sad, and in crucial moments she always will be. Lobalu recently told his life story to “Tamedia” newspaper magazine. In 2007, his parents were murdered in South Sudan, he fled to Kenya and was discovered at the age of 15 as a runner for the International Olympic Committee refugee team. He was allowed to run there and also start in Europe, but not all that glittered was gold. The athletes were treated badly, some of them piled up. In 2019 he was with the team for a start in Geneva – and he also broke away.

As a refugee, he is not allowed to start at the moment

A coincidence brought him to Switzerland. Via Chiasso and Ennetbühl SG he ended up in Abtwil SG, where he lives for two years and is trained by coach Markus Hagmann. Now there is a problem: he cannot and does not want to start for South Sudan, he cannot start for Switzerland, he does not have the passport. He can apply for this in 2031 at the earliest.

That means: Lobalu can compete for fame, honor and prize money in the Diamond League this summer. But when it comes to precious metals, at the Olympics and World Championships, he can’t compete. He cannot compete for the IOC refugee team because he is not recognized as a refugee by Switzerland and is now considered a “migrant worker” who is allowed to stay for the time being.

The Swiss Federation is trying to help

But there is hope. The Swiss athletics federation Swiss Athletics is committed to Lobalu. A starting permit has been applied for for him – this is possible under very special conditions. And so it could be that Switzerland will soon have a new world-class runner in its ranks.

“Because of his history and his achievements, Dominic Lobalu deserves to start in major championships – anything else would be against the values ​​of the sport,” said Christoph Seiler, president of Swiss Athletics. “We are doing everything we can with World Athletics to help him with that. It is secondary whether Dominic Lobalu is finally allowed to start in Switzerland or whether another solution is found. We stand up for Dominic, not for us. » What Seiler says: many questions remain unresolved: Would a World Cup medal in Budapest in August count towards the Swiss medal count?

Now the Nationality Review Panel of the World Athletics Federation must decide. When will it be? It could be tomorrow, in two weeks, in two months. Lobalu described his case, Swiss Athletics submitted the necessary documents. The Swiss federation is optimistic, but groping in the dark. Maybe another request will come, maybe it won’t be enough until the World Cup registration deadline at the beginning of August. If the application is approved, it would probably be historic – a similar case is not publicly known. “I am a very patient person,” Lobalu tells the “Tages-Anzeiger”. That should help with the wait. Until then, he does what he loves most: running. He will start in Geneva at the weekend. The same run he broke out of four years ago.

Source : Blick