Jan. 22--The dispute between South Sudanese marathoner Guor Miaker and his country's track and field federation has ended, with the federation lifting its suspension of the runner who had been a symbol of South Sudan's new independence at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Miaker announced the resolution of the problem Wednesday on his Facebook page. It should clear the way for him to represent the South Sudan again at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams confirmed in a Thursday email to the Tribune that "the issue is solved."
The IOC stepped in to sort out a problem that involved an Olympic Solidarity scholarship to help fund Miaker's training in Kenya. It had devolved Jan. 4 into a suspension when some South Sudan track officials tried to assert their control of such funding.
"Great thank to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to some officials in the South Sudan federation, and to everyone who played great role in this issue," Miaker wrote on Facebook. "It's a great step forward for the South Sudan federation and the people of Suth (cq) Sudan."
The suspension received wide coverage from media, including the Tribune, that had recounted Miaker's compelling refugee story as he sought a way to run in the London Olympics, where he finished 47th.
Miaker, an Iowa State graduate, was known as Guor Marial when he competed in London. He chose to go by Miaker (alternately spelled as Maker) after becoming a U.S. citizen Feb. 22, 2013.
