FignonLeGrand said:
Ah well done Sofia u sum up British identity so well even though you clearly are very poorly informed. Wiggins born in Belgium to an English mother and Australian dad, doesn't sound very Belgian does it. Britain itself is a union of England, Scotland, Wales and Nothern Ireland so the whole thing is a mix of nationalities and cultures, a melting pot. I am proud my country welcomes and embraces those who move and wish to represent their new country. Look at the runner Mo Farrah let's be honest how many countries would embrace a somalian refugee and nominate him as a sports star the year? Why don't you take your petty nationalistic views and keep them to yourself, what does it have to do with cycling. Nothing except jealousy I expect.
I love it when people state their outlooks on nationalistic truths and blatantly ignore the context and full scope. British sporting teams as they are right now are about cashing in. Appoint head of sport body, pay lots of money and DEMAND results. I guess that article I read in a British paper the other day listing a substantial number of Olympic hopefuls was wrong then? The one with athletes who switched allegiance at the drop of a hat in the past year or two. Can you blame them or the officials for scouting them? I cannot. The British government has been in over drive for a number of years now. The funding came from the national lottery. It's about looking good in front of the world. PR/Marketing for 2012...an Olympic year in your home soil. If you can't get results from home, poach. Pretty damn simple to recognise and understand.
Come on dude and smell the roses. People switch nationality to Britain to line their pockets. Nothing more, nothing less. First it was cricket, now it's athletics, swimming, heck even cycling. It's happening everywhere lately.
Sure some people do embrace the culture and nationality, then there are those who don't. The irony is truly lost on you. Britain, the nation whose citizens are begging to leave the EU and in turn shut the door on all those free immigrants. Yeah dude, you need to rethink your outlook. Britain is over run with people who don't give a toss about the British way of life and simply take and demand. People who weren't born their and don't know what true citizenship entitles. Open any British paper online and read the comments. It's plain as day.
Which begs the question, what does being British mean? It's an outlook. Part of your personality. Are those cyclists mentioned in this category? Yeah I'd say so. So would they. The ones who are taking the system for a ride are kind of obvious and IMO not cyclists. Don't forget many nations within the British commonwealth like to rip on the UK...particularly England for borrowing athletes who have been identified with other nations. There is a huge difference between being British and having a British passport.
At the end of the day, with a diverse ethnic background in the UK today, when an athlete wins a medal or better, takes a Gold on UK soil, few remember where they were born or how much that person considers themself British. They see a British uniform winning for Britain on British soil. It's about symbolism and cashing on that, not real substance. PS: The UK isn't the only country doing this.
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