By The promised second installment discusses the two remaining scenarios to analyze the relationship between migration and sport.
By: Sandro Angulo Rincón
Three countries, France, the United States, and the Basque Country of Spain, have benefited from migrations, some from their former colonies, to raise their flags high in sports.
Scenario 2: From Origin to Glory, Whose?
According to Gijs van Campenhout and Jacco van Sterkenburg in their article The diversification of national football teams, reviewing the roster of the French men’s football team, champions of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, reveals that 19 out of the 23 players had a genuine connection to a nation other than France. Steve Mandanda, born in Kinshasa, Congo, and Samuel Umtiti, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, are examples united by a historical fact: both come from former colonies of the Gallic invaders. This action is a subject of broad political debate. While some African citizens rejoice at their compatriots succeeding in distant lands, others express their bitterness at seeing their roots win for other homelands. They will say, another form of mercantilism.
American and Mexican professional boxers are the best in the world. The numbers prove it. According to the World Population Review website, the United States has won 455 titles and Mexico 153, counting all weight classes and divisions in boxing. However, the number of Mexican fighters would be higher if those with dual nationality or parents from the land of the eagle and the cactus (see chart) were added. Just remember some names: Óscar de La Hoya, Olympic gold medalist for the United States in the Barcelona 1992 games and world champion in six different categories, and Mikey García, winner of four categories from featherweight to super lightweight.
This policy is inspired by the principles of Sabino Arana (1865-1903), a politician, writer, ideologue, and father of Basque nationalism, who advocated for the preservation of identity, the Basque language, and native culture, as well as for the independence of the Basque Country (Euskadi) from Spain.
Interestingly, Iñaki (29 years old) and Nico (21 years old) are of the Black race, born to Ghanaian parents who migrated illegally but were born in Bilbao and Pamplona, respectively. For some, their presence poses a challenge to Basque identity. However, for others, it is a way to show the world that Basque nationalism has overcome the criticisms of xenophobia and racism (blood purity) historically attributed to it. Iñaki plays for the Ghanaian senior football team, while Nico does so for the Spanish team (see video).
Spain has benefited from immigration, as evidenced by the report from Spanish Radio and Television (RTVE), Los olímpicos españoles que no nascieron aquií (The Spanish Olympians who were not born here), since 24 of its 154 Olympic medals have been won by athletes from other territories. One of these (gold) was won by the kayaker Cristian Isaac Toro in Rio de Janeiro 2016, who was born in Venezuela and naturalized as Spanish.
Chile has also welcomed and naturalized elite athletes from other latitudes, and its television highlights the benefits of this policy, as it leverages different biotypes to become more competitive (see video).
The End of the Match
The opinion of Agon & Areté is that host countries spread the idea that a part of the national sporting glory is due to the inclusion and naturalization of foreign athletes, as a way to show a cheerful face “of those who arrive” and to counter the criticisms from radical political groups that see immigration as a threat. It is common for migration flows to be associated with increased crime rates, job losses, and disputes over subsidies and educational and health services paid for with the taxes of local citizens.
At Agon & Areté, we believe that migration and sport reflect the world’s economic and social inequalities and that, ideally, high-performance athletes should represent the nations where they were born and trained, achieving triumphs that promote national joy with governments that provide all the opportunities to achieve them.
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