SONIA O’SULLIVAN HAS criticised the controversial nationality rules that allow athletes from Africa and elsewhere to switch allegiance and compete for their adopted countries at events such as the European Championships
The legendary Irish athlete likens the nations involved to multi-national English Premier League soccer clubs such as Manchester United, who target the top talent from abroad in pursuit of glory.
The criticism comes in the wake of Irish athlete Fionnuala McCormack labelling the current situation as a “complete joke,” after she narrowly missed out on a medal in the women’s 10,000m final at the Euros last week in Amsterdam.
Kenyan-born Turkish runner Yasemin Can took gold at the event in question and McCormack subsequently complained: “I think it’s the same in every sport. People shouldn’t be allowed hop countries whenever they feel like it. It’s a dangerous country to be living in (Turkey), why would you just decide to represent them? I have no idea and I don’t think it should be allowed.
“This whole thing is a complete joke. I’ve said it to people at the top and they have basically just said it’s not something you have a choice in.”
Meanwhile, in a statement released on Monday, European Athletic Association president Svein Arne Hansen promised to raise the issue of controversial allegiance switches in an upcoming meeting with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), adding: “We in European Athletics believe there is a need to look more closely at the appropriate conditions for a change of nationality and the length of time before eligibility is granted to compete.”
And O’Sullivan seems to agree with McCormack’s stance on the matter. When asked whether the issue was approaching crisis point, the legendary Irish athlete — who won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 — said:
“I think it is a crisis right now, I think it’s definitely come to a head. I think it is in crisis and it’s going to be sorted out pretty soon.
“Svein Arne Hansen is very proactive about trying to take action.
“It’s like being a professional team rather than a country — it’s like Manchester United.”
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