A Question of Nationality

Does anyone else question the validity of athletes switching nationalities? Zola Budd completing the greatest long jump in history in leaping to the front of the British passport queue in time for the Olympic games in Los Angeles. Alan Lamb, Tony Gregg and latterly Kevin Pieterson playing cricket for England. Jamie Salmon, Henry Paul and recently Leslie Vinakolo playing rugby for England having played for New Zealand first. Even Martin Johnson himself was a junior All Black prior to turning out for his native England. Speaking of the All Blacks, they do it all the time - they 'poach' players from the other islands and claim them as their own - Inga 'the winger' and Sivivatoo (sorry about the spelling but Fijian names are strange to me) to name but two.

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The latest in British sport is the inclusion of a Moari in the English rugby union elite squad for the season - Ricki Flutey. As a Wasps fan, I know what a fantastic player this man is. I do however question the validity of allowing players to choose flags of convenience in any sport or we will have the same farcical situation in international sport as we have in european football - the spectre of 'British' clubs being represented by teams bereft of any British players. It is almost getting that way in athletics with Kenyans turning up in almost every country in order to get a chance to run in international competition. It is about time that this issue was seriously looked at across the sporting world before it becomes a complete free for all.