Opponents of affirmative action programs, who claim a principled opposition to any race-based discrimination, have enjoyed considerable success in recent years. Yet not one of them, notes commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson, has spoken out about the highly public and explicitly discriminatory rules adopted by many road race sponsors. Hutchinson is the author of "The Crisis in Black and Black."

The 50,000 runners competing May 25 in the Boulder Bolder road race, are running under new rules that should draw the anger of those opposed to affirmative action, like California Governor Pete Wilson, Florida Rep. Charles Cannady, and Newt Gringrich.

In what seems like a clear example of reverse discrimination, organizers of one of America's largest road races have allowed only three runners from any foreign country to compete. In addition, any American that finishes in the top five will earn double the prize money.

This is only the most recent example of an escalating movement to limit (or ban outright) Africans from races, and award Americans a bigger hunk of the prize money. To make this legitimate, organizers have formed the "USA Circuit" to pay prize money almost exclusively to Americans. The circuit has been endorsed by the U.S. Track and Field Federation.

The squawk about foreigners taking over American road racing is hypocritical and racist. When British, Norwegian, Australian, and New Zealand runners -- all of them white -- outran American contestants in the late 1970s and 1980s, there were no complaints about foreign domination of racing. There is no call to bar Canadians from U.S. hockey teams, Russian skaters from skating competition in the United States, South African golf pros or French and British tennis pros from tournaments in the U.S.

And if European nations decided to retaliate with athletic protectionism and limit the number of Americans that can compete or reduce their prize money on the lucrative European track circuit, Americans would howl in protest.

Road racing organizers, however, aren't really concerned with banning foreigners from American competition. They're concerned with the Africans -- more specifically the Kenyans. They claim that the Kenyans are just too good -- and they're right. In 1997, Kenyan men grabbed the top spots in the New York, Honolulu, and Boston marathons. Kenyans finished first and second in this year's Boston marathon. In the 1997-98 Professional Road Racing Circuit -- which awards $379,000 in prizes -- Kenyan men occupy the top seven places. There are no American runners in the top 25.

Kenya's average annual income per capita is $280, making the victorious Kenyan runners fabulously wealthy at home. But they do not just take American money and run. In many cities they have conducted popular clinics for young runners. This year's Boston Marathon winner Moses Tannui publicly invited American runners to train at his running clinic in Kenya.

Those race directors who want the Africans out of American road racing claim that hordes of black Kenyans dominating road races will make it harder to get corporate dollars and media attention.

In promoting this reverse discrimination, race organizers ignore the fact that distance running has never been the exclusive property of any one country. It is and always has been an international sport that can break down racial and gender barriers. Their white elitism also makes a cheap mockery of the much touted Olympics goal of promoting international harmony among the athletes (and peoples) of the world.

The move to ban the Kenyans panders to chauvinism and racism, rewards mediocrity, and guarantees that Americans will be even less competitive in road racing. Yet the race director of Bolder Boulder still defiantly declares, "American sponsors want American winners or at least Americans among the top finishers."

This is blatant advocacy of preference over merit, of quotas over qualification. Where are the outspoken opponents of affirmative action, who preach to women and minorities the importance of talent, ability, performance, and hard work?

It's time to hear them protest a policy that rewards less qualified white Americans.