Usain Bolt of Jamaica crosses the finishline to win the Men's 4 x 100m Relay (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Usain Bolt of Jamaica crosses the finishline to win the Men's 4 x 100m Relay (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Usain Bolt of Jamaica crosses the finishline to win the Men's 4 x 100m Relay (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Usain Bolt of Jamaica crosses the finishline to win the Men's 4 x 100m Relay (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

It’s time to shake up our notions of sporting identity


  • English
  • Arabic

You are weighed down by the glory of gold as you stand tall on the highest platform of the winners’ podium. To your right is a silver medallist, to your left is the winner of bronze. Just as you think you couldn’t feel any better, your national anthem blares out, accompanied by a chorus of 10,000 smartphone camera clicks.

In the modern world, few events evoke such powerful feelings of national pride as the Olympic Games.

However, in our shrunken world, ideas about nationality and citizenship are changing. Occasionally, the person representing a country at the Olympics wasn’t born in that territory and may have only very recently become a citizen of that nation.

The practice of athletes switching nationality has become common and the rising incidence of this practice is viewed negatively by some sports fans. In the 2012 Olympics, the UK recruited more foreign-born athletes than ever before and London was a particularly good games for Team GB.

Some critics of the practice of naturalising athletes began referring to Team GB’s foreign-born athletes as “plastic Brits”. Of course, the UK has no monopoly on this practice.

There are even athletes who have represented more than one nation, “treacherously” competing for and then against their birth nation.

Those opposed to this practice argue that fielding such recently naturalised citizens kills the emotional spirt of the games. If the person wearing gold on the podium can’t speak the national language and is hearing their new anthem for the first time, they are hardly likely to dissolve into patriotic joyful tearfulness.

Others are against the practice on the basis that it potentially allows wealthy nations to procure all the best talent. This could lead to a situation where the national team is as international as a typical English Premier League football club.

Rich nations, like rich football clubs, will come to dominate certain events, not through passion and perseverance, but through the all-conquering power of the purse.

However, there are those who argue for the dissolution of national teams at the Olympics. Why do athletes need to represent countries anyway? Why can’t they just compete against each other without any reference to a nation? This is effectively saying that Usain Bolt won the 100m gold, not Jamaica. This actually resonates with the current Olympic charter, where article 6 states: “The Olympic Games are competitions between athletes in individual or team events and not between countries.”

Another argument for greater citizenship fluidity at the Olympics is that it would help get around the current – and occasionally cruel – national quota system. If you were the fifth best javelin thrower in the world, but couldn’t get a seat on the Olympic bus because the top-four ranked throwers happened to be your compatriots, you might be very happy to compete under another nation’s flag.

Similarly, advocates of a post citizenship-centric Olympics suggest that team events could simply comprise of individuals from various nations – why do I need to be a citizen of Bulgaria to represent Bulgaria?

In the modern era, some see the idea of the nation state as being a little dated.

In his book The End of the Nation State, Kenichi Ohmae, a Japanese management consultant suggests, “The nation state is increasingly a nostalgic fiction.”

Perhaps the increase in naturalised citizens competing in the Olympics is just an example of that.

Dr Justin Thomas is an associate professor at Zayed University

On Twitter: @DrJustinThomas

2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL

Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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MATCH INFO

Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)

Charles 57, Amla 47

Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)

Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9

Bangla Tiger win by five wickets

Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

SPECS
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• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

MATCH INFO

Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

Scoreline

Germany 2

Werner 9', Sane 19'

Netherlands 2

Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'

Specs

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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

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if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

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While you're here
Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Hurricanes

Runners up: Bahrain

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Bahrain

Runners up: UAE Premiership

 

UAE Premiership

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

 

UAE Division One

Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

 

UAE Division Two

Winners: Barrelhouse

Runners up: RAK Rugby

The details

Heard It in a Past Life

Maggie Rogers

(Capital Records)

3/5

Brief scores:

Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first

Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)

Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14

Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)

Perera 47; Sohail 2-18