The organisation Sport et Citoyenneté has published a special edition of their scientific journal Sport and Citizenship. This Special Edition covers a subject with inevitable media hype from different angles. Sport and Citizenship wishes to take advantage of this unique occasion and the media’s attention to raise this question: “Is this really Africa’s hour?”.

Extensive research into trafficking of young African players reveal that major European clubs systematically use loopholes in the regulation to recruit youth players from the African continent, leaving up to 20,000 former footballers living on the streets of European cities.

Tarahumaras in Mexico and Kalenjins in Kenya are superb runners. Thanks to British colonialisation, the Kenyans have become integrated in world sport which has resulted - amongst other things - in exploitation of young athletes. The Mexicans on the other hand have preserved their own running culture, and Dirk Christensen wonders which group is better off.