Utrecht council questions ‘discriminatory’ marathon prizes

Utrecht council is to ask the equal opportunities commission for its view on the city’s marathon organisation, which has introduced different prizes for Dutch nationals and foreign runners.


‘This does not make the city look great,’ Rinda den Besten, city council executive in charge of sport, told news agency ANP.
The race organisers are trying to discourage Kenyans in particular from taking part, saying only invited runners can win ‘big money’ prizes. Only Dutch nationals have been invited to take part.
€100
This means if the 42 km race is won by a foreigner, he or she will win €100. But the best Dutch runners will win €10,000. The organisation says the Kenyan dominance of marathon racing is bad for Dutch road racing and does not believe the measure is discriminatory.
Van Besten told ANP she wanted to make sure that discrimination is not involved, which is why she is asking the equal opportunities commission for its opinion.
The situation is ‘unfortunate’, Van Besten said. However, the city council will continue supporting the event to the tune of €150,000, ANP reported.
More on this
Utrecht uses €100 trick to discourage Kenyan marathon runners

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