passports

Representing a country when sporting can lead to complicated situations.
Because countries have all sorts of rules and regulations it's almost impossible to know for sporters.
They have to rely on the information they get from others and sometimes the information is not good.

Studying the law can be from two point of view: what is allowed and what's not allowed.
Both areas should meet seamless, covering all situations.

But at times things go terribly wrong.

A few sporters wanted to represent Kazachstan at the Olympic Games.
They got information, were told it was possible to have two nationalities and passports, someone even called the ministery of foreign affairs and was told it was possible, they were not stopped, and they thought all was well.

Until they wanted to participate in the national championships of their country of birth.
They were not allowed to subscribe, because they didn't skate the selection contests in this country and someone thought they might not be considered to be a citizen of The Netherlands anymore.

They were reported to their councils and now they're facing to be thrown out of the country because it's said they're here illegally.
One of them is a young father!

After all discussions about people with two nationalities I can understand these sporters thought they were able to keep their Dutch nationality.

But bureaucracy is so important int his country nowadays that individual people just don´t count.

It´s about rules, countrol, and certainly not about trusting the good intentions of people.