| True Brit 04:07 - Jan 27 with 3612 views | FredManRave |
Congrats to Johanna Konta on being the first Brit to reach a Grand Slam Semi Final in the last 32 years.
Can somebody remind me on the rules regarding nationality bearing in mind she was born in Australia, moved to the UK when she was 14 yet still competed as an Australian until 2012 when she became a British citizen!
She's one of our own?! |  |
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| True Brit on 04:52 - Jan 27 with 3100 views | nix |
"I'm very happy to be playing for Great Britain. That is my home and where my heart is. It's where I grew up essentially. So when people ask me where I'm from, where is home, that's where it is"
I assume she played for Australia probably because it's easier to get into tournaments if you have a particular nationality. But sounds like she's chosen to be British because she wants to be and because she feels British.
Well done Johanna. Fantastic effort. |  | | |
| True Brit on 04:59 - Jan 27 with 3096 views | exiled_dictator |
She's like the Zola Bud of British tennis, or like the Exiled of fine 'British' cuisine.
The Mesut Ozil of German football.
Call a spade a spade. She a bloody foreigner. |  |
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| True Brit on 05:08 - Jan 27 with 3092 views | nix |
| True Brit on 04:59 - Jan 27 by exiled_dictator |
She's like the Zola Bud of British tennis, or like the Exiled of fine 'British' cuisine.
The Mesut Ozil of German football.
Call a spade a spade. She a bloody foreigner. |
Mesut Ozil was born in Germany ffs. Do u require a pure blood line through the centuries?
Zola Budd only gained British citizenship to compete in the Olympics when she was already 18. Johanna had a choice. | | | |
| True Brit on 06:55 - Jan 27 with 2997 views | DWQPR |
Her parents are Hungarian, she was born in. Australia and her parents for whatever reason chose to move to the UK in 2005. Knots gained citizenship in 2012. She persoanally chose to become British, and by the looks of it had her formative years learning tennis in this country using funds from the LTA. At the start of 2015 she was ranked something like 149 in the world and went out in the first round in Australia, Paris and Wimbledon. She has done bloody well and if she tells me that she is proud to be British that is fine with me. Much as a colleague of mine who was a Ugandan refugee back in the early 70's, he will tell you that despite spending the first 20 years of his life in Uganda he is British, proud of it and owes everything to this country.
Now come on Johanna, win this thing. |  |
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| True Brit on 06:56 - Jan 27 with 2996 views | jonno |
| True Brit on 06:55 - Jan 27 by DWQPR |
Her parents are Hungarian, she was born in. Australia and her parents for whatever reason chose to move to the UK in 2005. Knots gained citizenship in 2012. She persoanally chose to become British, and by the looks of it had her formative years learning tennis in this country using funds from the LTA. At the start of 2015 she was ranked something like 149 in the world and went out in the first round in Australia, Paris and Wimbledon. She has done bloody well and if she tells me that she is proud to be British that is fine with me. Much as a colleague of mine who was a Ugandan refugee back in the early 70's, he will tell you that despite spending the first 20 years of his life in Uganda he is British, proud of it and owes everything to this country.
Now come on Johanna, win this thing. |
Yes, yes, yes - but how much money is she taking to throw the semi final? |  | | |
| True Brit on 07:48 - Jan 27 with 2919 views | WokingR |
It's all irrelevant
She has already declared on live TV that she is "great from behind" and that's all I need to know really |  | | |
| True Brit on 09:39 - Jan 27 with 2805 views | Toast_R |
How about our own Roy Wegerle?
Born in South Africa, could have played for England but ended up playing for the USA through his wife. Bonkers but glad he had a chance to play in a World Cup. |  | | |
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| True Brit on 09:43 - Jan 27 with 2789 views | BrianMcCarthy |
If she has citizenship, then she's British and it's her choice who she chooses to represent. |  |
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| True Brit on 09:43 - Jan 27 with 2789 views | isawqpratwcity |
The chosen nationality of a sportsman is nothing to get upset over. Almost anybody can find a justification for an alternative allegiance somewhere in their ancestry and at the absolute worst it is a citizenship ceremony then a qualifying period.
They do it because they are choosing what is best for their career, either by their place in national rankings or international competition or by popularity/sponsorship.
Anyway, it's tennis, ffs! |  |
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| True Brit on 11:35 - Jan 27 with 2695 views | Hunterhoop |
I love the temerity of those who think they have the right to determine the national identify of another individual, more so than that individual themselves!
If someone says "I'm British. I see myself as British. I want to support/represent Britain"....then who are we to disagree?! It's brilliant. Welcome!
Christ, that sort of statement would have been enough in the medieval period (albeit replace British with English) to be accepted, and that's concerning war not sport!
Just think of all the chat about migrants not "integrating" and not fitting in with "British" culture and values. This widely held view that you should adopt and, at least, respect the cultural practices of the natives of the country you live in, is absolutely fine. But you can't then say "She's not British", when a migrant clearly does this level of integration (and more)!
You can't have it both ways. Otherwise you just appear you look down on anyone who has a shorter ancestral line than you! Ridiculous given the mongrel nation we have and have been throughout our past. |  | | |
| True Brit on 11:58 - Jan 27 with 2669 views | stonebridgers |
Wait till she gets beat in the semi final and she will be back to being an Aussie. | |
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| True Brit on 12:02 - Jan 27 with 2655 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| True Brit on 11:58 - Jan 27 by stonebridgers |
Wait till she gets beat in the semi final and she will be back to being an Aussie. |
True. Or Scottish. | |
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| True Brit on 12:06 - Jan 27 with 2646 views | PinnerPaul |
Office tennis expert, tells me she spends most of her time in Spain! | | | |
| True Brit on 12:28 - Jan 27 with 2607 views | SimonJames |
If memory (of the 1980's mini series) serves me correctly, there is a scene in Anzacs, where Mark Barrington is explaining to his English father that he joined the Anzacs because he was born in Australia, to which Sir Rupert Barrington replies "...an Englishman can be born where he damn well pleases". |  |
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| True Brit on 12:39 - Jan 27 with 2574 views | DWQPR |
| True Brit on 12:06 - Jan 27 by PinnerPaul |
Office tennis expert, tells me she spends most of her time in Spain! |
No different to Murray when he was younger. Makes sense due to the climate and facilities, but no doubt the funding came from the LTA. | |
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| True Brit on 14:15 - Jan 27 with 2441 views | vblockranger |
A Scot and an Australian in the Semi Finals..big whoop, hope they both lose. |  | | |
| True Brit on 14:20 - Jan 27 with 2433 views | jamois |
It was such a golden opportunity to make the semi, playing against someone of a lower ranking, that it seemed inevitable she'd blow it, thus displaying her true british credentials. Now she made it through, I'm starting to think she might not be that British after all  |  |
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| True Brit on 19:20 - Jan 27 with 2326 views | HollowayRanger |
I cant stand plastic brits
Im against it as I cant support her while objecting to mo running for us I
but as someone said what about all the brit crickerters david gower for example
end of day my rule would be if you represent another country in a international your not representing us ever
and if your born overseas you must live here 10 years before being allowed not turn up 6 months before an olympics |  |
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| True Brit on 19:31 - Jan 27 with 2311 views | DeepcutHoop |
So we're happy to ignore her, right up until she starts getting decent, then we're having none of it?
Nothing gives you away as a non-Brit more than being any good.
;) [Post edited 27 Jan 2016 21:42]
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| True Brit on 21:23 - Jan 27 with 2237 views | derbyhoop |
Lennox Lewis and Greg Rusedski were Canadian
The England cricket team, going back to the Nawab of Pataudi, has had so many players not born in the UK, it's almost an embarrassment.
The new England Rugby Union captain was born in NZ.
Mo Farah as English as they come.
Most sports have some sort of nationality qualification and I'm happy to accept anybody who is prepared to declare themselves British and then achieve results. |  |
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| True Brit on 22:04 - Jan 27 with 2189 views | QPR1882 |
Would be interesting if someone could put up here the post about the sports personality of the year award.
A few on here happy that a girl born in Australia can be English but a guy born in England takes Canadian citizenship, fights for them in the olympics is English because he was born in England.
Good luck to the Sheila....... |  | | |
| True Brit on 22:29 - Jan 27 with 2162 views | SydneyRs |
Interesting that while she is representing Britain. Australia was cheering on a recently acquired Russian girl (citizenship seemed to avoid the delays endured by most applicants...) until she got knocked out of the tournament the other day. | | | |
| True Brit on 23:05 - Jan 27 with 2113 views | karl |
| True Brit on 14:15 - Jan 27 by vblockranger |
A Scot and an Australian in the Semi Finals..big whoop, hope they both lose. |
How can you slate a Briton born in Britain on a thread titled 'True Brit' which isnt even concerning him? The words Scotland/England and Paraguay were never mentioned! ABE is all you want to hear, perversely. |  | | |
| True Brit on 08:49 - Jan 28 with 1995 views | Metallica_Hoop |
Well Jelena Dokic was born in Croatia but represented...
Australia(1998—2000, 2006—present)
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (2001—2003)
Serbia and Montenegro (2003—2005)
What I wont stand for is people who cannot speak English being given a British passport and some organic lentil chomper telling me that they are the same as me.
No they are f'kin not, which Is why now on any official form I put English. (even if it's not an option) |  |
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