NAIROBI, 21 September 2006 — Kenya released Qatar’s 3,000 meters steeplechase world champion Saif Saaeed Shaheen yesterday after he had been detained for using a wrong entry pass into his country of birth.

Shaheen, born Stephen Cherono, was detained at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Tuesday night on arrival from Athens where he won the World Cup steeplechase and 5,000 gold for Asia.

A Kenyan Immigration Department spokesperson said he had not used a visa but a pupil’s pass which allows foreigners to study in the east African country.

“There is no disclosed offense and we are definitely going to take legal action against the government,” Shaheen’s lawyer Donald Kipkorir told reporters. “You can’t lock somebody up for 15 hours with no offense.” Shaheen told a news conference he had pointed out the wrong pass to officers several times when using it before and been assured there would be no problem. “When I brought this matter to their attention, they locked me in,” he said.

Shaheen said the mistake arose when a Qatari official had applied for the visa.

“Because the man does not know English, this mistake passed unnoticed,” he said.

Shaheen said he was badly treated by immigration officials and described his detention as “a night in hell.”

“I was insulted but I do not want to go into those details,” he said. “I have forgiven them, and if I made any mistake, I seek forgiveness.”

Many Kenyans have migrated to the Gulf states of Qatar and Bahrain in the past three years seeking better training facilities, better pay and opportunities to take part in global championships..

But they still spend months training in Kenyan camps in the highlands of the North Rift Valley Province where many of them grew up.

The Kenyan government has lately strengthened its rules on athletes who migrate to the Gulf using fake documents.

Sports Minister Maina Kamanda ordered the arrest of world youth 800 meters and 1,500 meters champion John Kipkorir Yego, world youth 2,000 steeplechase champion Dennis Kipkurui Keter and Hosea Kiplagat Kosgei on July 8.

The three, who acquired Bahrain passports, were detained and released following allegations they used false information to obtain their passports. The investigation is continuing.