Bahraini Foreign Legion.
Bahraini Foreign Legion.
Regardless of whether it is well known or not, I don't think the practice is keeping with the spirit of the games. Residency requirements would seem appropriate.
You see, Kenya is a very great country where all the children are almost bored by the success at Athletics. So, a few truly selfless runners will actually run to another country where there are many children to inspire. Bahrani and Turkish children are some of the most in need of inspiration so the noble Kenyans agree to switch uniforms for the Olympic games.
Conundrum wrote:
Regardless of whether it is well known or not, I don't think the practice is keeping with the spirit of the games. Residency requirements would seem appropriate.
I agree, transferring nationality purely for sports should not be allowed. The European champs with Turkey this year were a farce.
However, I was simply pointing out that it is very common. Britain has been guilty of this in the past (and present) also. Until the rules are changed then it will continue.
In 1956, Laszlo Tabori and coach Mihaly Igloi defected from Hungary and came to the USA after the Melbourne Games, where Tabori had finished 4th in the 1500 and 6th in the 5000.
Tabori had, in 1955, become the third man to run under 4 minutes for the mile, and had equaled the world record in the 1500.
Fast forward to 1960. Tabori was running well, but could not represent the USA because he had not been here the necessary 5 years to qualify for citizenship. Appeals for a waiver fell on deaf ears.
How many days per year does Mo Farah reside in Great Britain?
Caller of calls wrote:
How many days per year does Mo Farah reside in Great Britain?
Who cares? Completely irrelevant? How many days a year does Centro spend in the US?
Weird counter...There are a lot of Japan-based Kenyans, which is a much better example. Centro is almost always in the US.
Metric Miler wrote:
Caller of calls wrote:How many days per year does Mo Farah reside in Great Britain?
Who cares? Completely irrelevant? How many days a year does Centro spend in the US?
I am also interested as to why you think Mo Farah needs to compete for Britain outside of him feeling his greatest allegiance to this Nation? What does the UK do for Farah today that he could not do by himself?
Peru bought Dave for a used tire.
Centro is single and needs to stay stateside to tap the babes; Mo is married and therefore can leave for 6 months a year.
JimmyMcJimson wrote:
Weird counter...There are a lot of Japan-based Kenyans, which is a much better example. Centro is almost always in the US.
JimmyMcJimson wrote:
Weird counter...There are a lot of Japan-based Kenyans, which is a much better example. Centro is almost always in the US.
Yes that is a better point to make to be honest, from a different angle than I was going for. I was simply drawing on the fact that they are both citizens (hold passports) of their respective nations and don't do so simply because they wish to and has nothing to do with money or otherwise.
luv2run wrote:
So people should not be able to seek a better life?
I assume your line about morality and purity in Olympics is sarcasm. or naivety?
The rules allow for such transfers and they should.
Personally, it is sarcasm. I believe the entire Olympic event is a scam that relies on all spectators and participants buying into the idea of national pride to some degree, or at least not pure 100% money grabbing professionalism like pro sports where you can change teams as much as you want. Before everyone freaks out, let me know how much Ledecky, Biles and the rest get paid for being featured in every Coke, McD's and United commercial on NBC primetime. Maybe this sounds familiar in principle to everyone who thinks BBall players should be paid during March Madness.
But I digress. The reason I point this out is because it seems to me like a contradiction. If we are all buying in to this rosy idea of the Olympics as some great contest for national and personal pride, why aren't we more pissed about nations shamelessly buying athletes away to beef up their score?
Obviously this is a way different situation than most American immigrants like SRR, Lagat, etc. We don't have to bribe them here by paying them a million bucks to switch citizenship...at least not directly/upfront, by the government. I don't even think that's worth arguing over anymore.