Jo Konta - the 'British' thing

[DumLum]

Another Greg Rudzedskiii or whatever his name was.

Lennox Lewis.

 

[neilbard]

That's a separate argument imho. It's not about being xenophobic, racist or whatever. Would you have taken it seriously if Alan Shearer had played for a few years in the Bundesliga, qualified as a German citizen and played for their national team rather than ours?

Yes I hated his celebrations......

 

[Tooting Gull]

She's a British citizen. Mo Farah was born in Somalia. He's a British Citizen too. See also Matt Prior, Andrew Strauss Kevin Pieterson, the Vunipolas etc, etc.

Aren't we encouraged to embrace our diversity and multiculturalism?

Or maybe the sun never sets on the British Empire.

This is about sport though - not immigration, refugees, or working across borders. Who you represent, as most people would imagine that would always be one country, but as we know it isn't. Konta represented Oz at junior level in Grand Slams, so you can't blame them for being a bit peeved.

 

[Notters]

See also: Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggings.

 

[neilbard]

This is about sport though - not immigration, refugees, or working across borders. Who you represent, as most people would imagine that would always be one country, but as we know it isn't. Konta represented Oz at junior level in Grand Slams, so you can't blame them for being a bit peeved.

Its all shite Zola Budd represented Great Britain in 1984 she become a British citizen to skirt round the International boycott of South Africa, then represented them in 1992...........

 

[trueblue]

If she's a British citizen, considers herself British, lives in Britain and intends to stay long term, she's British as far as I'm concerned. We've all got foreign blood somewhere down the line. Would feel the same regardless of her job.

 

[Gwylan]

you can't blame them for being a bit peeved.

That would be the Australia that currently has Middlesbrough-born Matt Renshaw opening the batting in its test team (with Pakistan-born Usman Khawaja batting at 3). Portugal-born Moises Henriques in its T20 team and whose current rugby union squad has about 10 players born outside Australia.

I hardly think anyone from Australia has any right to feel peeved - they're the country must ready to shift nationalities when it suits them,

 

[Stat Brother]

See also: Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggings.

Chris Froome was born in Kenya to VERY English parents, who had emigrated there from Gloucestershire.

Bradley Wiggins was born to his English mother and Aussie father in Ghent as that's where he was riding.
BW and his mum returned home when he was 2 when his dad left them.

 

[jackanada]

If you were being cynical you might say that her parents decided to move to the UK knowing that as long as her game didn't significantly decline she'd be a shoe in for LTA funding. Not that the cynical me blames them for this decision at all.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Does it matter to you that she has the Hungarian parents and was born and raised in Oz?

Only asking really because of the sheer level of media hysteria now she has done something at Wimbledon, and has a chance of winning the tournament and making history for Britain.

I think she switched nationality at 21, which is quite late in many ways.

Or would you be every bit as proud as if it was a player born and raised here and come through the system?

Konta has been asked about it before (very little at this tournament) and said she was happy to be representing Britain. That isn't the same as feeling British.

Obviously this isn't just about or aimed only at Konta, it's an example and there are many. Aljaz Bedene was a bit of a joke, coming from Slovenia to GB for funding and better commercial deals, and already talking about going back to play in the Olympics for Slovenia.

And Greg Rusedski was another interesting one. He was always Canadian to me, but unlike Bedene he did at least throw himself into the GB country and the culture.

Maybe it's a bit like the extra love you have for a homegrown player at your club, someone like a Solly March, as opposed to a big-money signing. You love them all, but seeing a true Brighton product doing at the highest level is that extra bit special?

The media and institutional double standards with regards to foreigners is almost schizophrenic in this country!

 

[neilbard]

If you were being cynical you might say that her parents decided to move to the UK knowing that as long as her game didn't significantly decline she'd be a shoe in for LTA funding. Not that the cynical me blames them for this decision at all.

The LTA funding for Jo Konta was dramatically cut in 2015 so she moved her training camp to Europe like most pro sports its all about the money...........

 

[Notters]

Chris Froome was born in Kenya to VERY English parents

Think his mother was Kenyan, but her parents were English?

 

[Whoislloydy]

I'm half Australian anyway so it's a win win from me

 

[Stat Brother]

Think his mother was Kenyan, but her parents were English?

mother Jane and father Clive, a former hockey player who represented England at under-19 level. His mother's parents had emigrated from Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England to Kenya to run a crop farm. Froome's two older brothers, Jonathan and Jeremy, went to Rugby School in Warwickshire, England

 

[ManOfSussex]

When Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha were British numbers one and two they didn't have a single drop of British blood between them but were fiercely patriotic and sounded very British (Scottish in Baltacha's case) so nobody ever questioned them.

Keothavong was born in London.

 

[Official Old Man]

This weekend many of us will be supporting Lewis Hamilton as he drives like a maniac trying to avoid Seb Vettel.
And yet he rarely visits this country now because of tax. So who is more British, a tax paying foreigner with a British passport or a non tax paying Brit with a foreign passport?

 

[ManOfSussex]

Another good one was the South African footballer Roy Wegerle, who could have qualified and played for all 4 home nations here through residency, but played for The USA on account of his American wife. Like you do.

 

[vegster]

I get cheesed off by the constant references to "Eastbourne's" Johanna Konta on Radio Sussex...have the people of Eastbourne clubbed together and bought her?

 

[Tooting Gull]

The media and institutional double standards with regards to foreigners is almost schizophrenic in this country!

You're not wrong there. The Daily Mail the worst offender, hate Europeans, hate immigrants, hate everyone who doesn't live in Kensington basically - and wetting themselves over Konta.

 

[El Presidente]

Perversely I don't mind her being 'British' as much as the ridiculousness of players from Fiji, Tonga or wherever representing England (and Wales) at rugby. Maybe I'm channeling my inner Fred Oliver and because she looks and sounds the part she can get away with it...hmmm. #pray for Fred

Is she smelly though?