Government Laws: Keep Yousif in Britain or He Will Die

Imagine living in a country of political turmoil in which all you can plan for is to see another day. This was the situation for 400 meter runner Rabah Yousif from Darfur, Sudan. To escape this persecution, he moved to England at the age of 18 where he was granted an asylum. Since he has left, 200,000 people in Darfur have died. While in Britain, he started a stable life competing for Britain and starting his own family. Without the fear of worrying about death, Yousif’s accomplishments include two championships and the only British athletes to have run quicker over one lap this year are Tim Benjamin, Martyn Rooney and Andrew Steele. With the 2008 Olympics (to the right) quickly approaching in Beijing, Yousif is a top contender for the gold medal for Britain. However, Yousif faces the biggest roadblock in his life. In recent news, it has been reported that Yousif will be deported back to his birth country, Sudan, after losing his appeal to extend his asylum. I believe this will be a major mistake not only for England and Sudan but also the sports industry. If Yousif goes back to Sudan, his life will be in danger. There is a major chance he might not live to compete ever in his life. As for England, the country loses one of their best competitors. Lastly, the sports industry loses world history. Therefore, from a sports marketing perspective, Yousif needs to stay in England and compete in the 2008 Olympics for England.

At the age of 15, Yousif’s life was in complete danger in Darfur, Sudan. Living in a war-torn country, people would be dying constantly. Looking to escape the persecution to make a difference with his life, Yousif moved to Britain where he was granted asylum. However, with government laws, the asylum has a specific duration before it expires. Now Yousif’s time is up and he must go back to Sudan. Yousif has pleaded in court to let him stay, but there is little hope because Yousif is not British. The British government knows that Yousif is not a major harm to the society because he is helping make history as a representative, but some laws cannot be broken or excused for certain people and not the rest. Therefore it is a difficult situation to judge.

With all this legal issues surrounding Yousif, he is unable to compete to his maximal level. While track requires physical ability and speed, there are also mental issues to balance. Yousif cannot help to be distracted with the facts that he has to leave his wife and son (pictured above) as well as returning to Sudan where his life is on the line. As a result, his career may be lost in a legal battle,” says Katie Legg, Yousif’s sister in law. In order for athletes to focus on the elite level, they have to focus on winning only- nothing else can come in the way because that uses up more energy. This is what marketing companies look for- they want athletes that can compete at a consistent level in which they improve every single time. Yousif has the talent to be one of the best runners for the 400 meter race but it is very difficult to perform well when his future is unknown. Therefore the government cannot get in the way of destroying his dream.

I believe that Yousif (to the right) needs to stay in Britain. The government of Sudan cannot force him to go back home because his life will come to an end because he will have to leave his wife and child and he will not know if he will be alive. It is important to note that Yousif has the capability to compete in high-caliber races which gives him the positioning for marketing his talent. In doing so, he has the ability to make history and this is what the sports industry needs. From a marketing perspective, Yousif stands out because he has a unique past history with sheer talent and therefore he stands out. These are the characteristics companies look to market because it reveals qualities that fans can aspire to and use to motivate them to do the same. If an athlete has the ability to make a difference in the sports industry, then he should have the right to compete regardless.