Kipchoge calls out systemic failure in talent development, athlete welfare
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 27.12.25. | 15:41
He argues that federations, agents and governing bodies have failed to invest properly in education, mentorship and safeguarding, particularly for athletes who do not immediately succeed
Multiple Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge plans to take his running to the edges of the world with the Eliud Kipchoge World Tour, an initiative meant not to prove his greatness, but to give it away.
Over the next two and a half years, world record-breaking marathoner, considered the Greatest of All Time, will complete a marathon on all seven continents. Each marathon will raise funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which focuses on education, environmental sustainability and health.
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Kipchoge says he wants "to leave a legacy of education", with his vision in Kenya including building libraries across all 47 counties.
He is also using his position and voice to call out stakeholders for the treatment and overall welfare of thousands of athletes who train as hard and dream as big as top stars but are left with little protection when they fall short.
"I am not satisfied with how athletes are being handled or how they are being paid," he told the BBC. "The sports world is making huge profits, but very little goes to the athlete."
He believes the system creates a dangerous divide. Elite athletes earn disproportionately, while the majority struggle to survive - often without education, guidance or long-term support.
"It's a real concern. And it's a huge gap. If you do not appreciate somebody, they will move away. And if they move away without knowledge, that is a real window for exploitation," he opines.
Kipchoge rues the case of Evans Kibet, a Kenyan middle-distance runner who once dreamed of making it in the sport but is now being held in Ukraine as a prisoner of war after fighting for Russia.
"It is unfortunate. Young people want to support their families. They want a better life. But nobody protects them," he says.
He continues, "Talent does not look like talent if you do not nurture it."
Kipchoge argues that federations, agents and governing bodies have failed to invest properly in education, mentorship and safeguarding, particularly for athletes who do not immediately succeed.
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