Some Citizenship issues as a Phenomenon in International Sports Law

• Main Author: Ines Medić
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu 2017-01-01
• Series: Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Splitu
• Subjects: citizenship; sport; naturalisation; performing in the state team; discrimination
• Online Access: http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/266345

In group and individual sports, the process of easier naturalisation of athletes is gathering greater momentum. Given that athletes must hold citizenship of a particular country in order to represent that country at international competitions, many countries lean towards this practice and offer many special visas or an eased naturalisation procedure for „promising “ athletes. It is the same situation for performing at Olympic Games. It most often concerns foreign athletes who are members of national sport teams of the countries of which they are citizens who are expected to perform for the national team of the country they come to as foreign athletes. And while some in this situation do not perceive it as being bad, others call for serious consideration of the „ potential mobility of athletes on the expected relationship among loyalty, identity and citizenship“. Therefore, the author attempts in this paper to answer the following questions: To what extent does globalisation and transnationalisation of sport change our perception of citizenship and belongingness? Is the existing concept of citizenship also adequate in the sports context? Does one need to intervene in the relationship between citizenship and sport?