Policies for naturalisation of foreign-born athletes: Qatar and Turkey in comparison

Abstract

This article investigates why, how, and under which conditions countries naturalise foreign-born athletes. Such nationality transfers are an under-researched topic in academic literature on citizenship and on elite sport. This can be explained by macro data which shows that naturalisations are a negligible factor to explain the overall, historical performance of countries in international sport. However, what makes the current work relevant is that there are some outliers that have recently made excessive use of foreign-born athletes on their national teams, many of whom have no prior connections to their new homes. This research sheds light on the Middle East, a region that has recently been at the forefront when it comes to nationality transfers of migrant athletes, by discussing naturalisation policy in Qatar and Turkey. The motives of naturalised athletes and national federations, the role of governments in transferring nationality to migrant athletes, as well as the rules and regulations of international federations and the International Olympic Committee concerning nationality transfers are discussed. Naturalisations can be explained in regards to low participation rates in national sport and the desire of both countries to gain international prestige through sport. Athletes switch nationalities for economic and sports-related reasons: it is easier for athletes to qualify for international competitions when representing weaker sporting nations. A distinction between both cases is that Qatar only grants temporary passports to many immigrant athletes, a practice that deserves scrutiny by international federations, while Turkey provides naturalised talents with full citizenship.