England claiming sports stars.

Well that list is a lot shorter than non-Scousers playing for Liverpool.

Didnt the BBC try to claim Conor McGregor [UFC] as British when he won a big fight?

Not to sure. I know sky where trying to claim Saoirse Ronan when she was nominated for best actress.

anfeild a bit slow off the mark here.

The BBC will scrape the bottom of the barrel to claim "Britishness" to any sportsperson who gets a sniff of being a winner with the added bonus of a fireworks extravaganza if they happen to have a dark skin.

They'll be debating this over their currys and lagers for years

I laugh at the way that the numpty footballing pundits refer to Local Derbies in the Premiership.

I remember a few years back a match between Newcastle and either Sunderland or Middlesbrough which was being raved about as a "Local Derby" on Sky, when they are all a decent car journey apart.  When they went through the team sheets, I think there was only ONE player from the North-East participating, which gives you some idea of now little the players would even care about this "local" match.

She competes as a Briton therefore she's British as far as I'm concerned.

Come on Konta!

Bravo Johanna indeed. Eastbourne's very own Australian-Hungarian Bomb-Shelter British rose.

what's their "nationality got to do with anything when they're playing for themselves, not for a country's team.

Isn't she just a female tennis player?

Team games a different kettle of fish

Agree...try telling that to sycophants at the BBC

This BBC bashing in here is truly pathetic.

Hardly a story can get posted without an anti-BBC angle being shoehorned in.

Agree Roger. BBC is a truly magnificent company and we're lucky to have it.

Wouldn't go that far but it's better than the alternatives and is, strange as it may seem, not the root of all evil

Whats it say on her passport?
I guess all the haters think the country is here to house all the losers and not back one who turns out to be a winner?

Which passport?  She's got 3 passports according to lunchtime news.

Then there are 3 claims

I will never forget how the South African Zola Budd was granted a British Passport with  indecent haste just so Britain could claim a champion  in the 84 Olympics(that went well).....now THAT was truly pathetic and it appears 32 yrs on fings aint changed much.

British Actor Joseph Fiennes claiming Michael jackson

It was nice of Britain to give Zola Budd a British passport because she would not have been able to compete for S. Africa. An athlete only has a few years in the sun...well done Britain in this case.

shes as british as the german queen

Iwould not have been averse to her running for Norway, or any country really

Bob Marley was English.

running?shes a tennis player

quite so Rob, military background.

bob marley is a man, silly billey. and British

White grandfather, Billy Connelly had an east Eurasian grandmother..he is partly Indian

England could justifiably claim half the world as being English

With the world becoming one big melting pot, dividing its population by nationality is appearing very dated.

Better off doing it by religion.



Could have a Religious Olympics.

Christians (might be too strong so the Catholics might have to have their own team)
Jews (fund-raising would be no problem)
Muslims (might be difficult to get different sects together)
HIndus (plenty of choice of mascots)
Atheists (lack of an organisation bound to be a problem there)
Buddhists (although, like the Atheists, always a danger of the others objecting on the grounds that it is not strictly speaking a religion)

Our very own and much loved singer and, well, let's not mention that, was born in India, but I doubt if the Indian Government have made any claims.

Or the Portugese.

But he loves his tenis and ... sorry, I nearly mentioned it, completely innocently of course.

Once a person has represented their country of birth then that should be the end of the matter..all this chopping and changing between countries dilutes their achievement.. if not for the individual  then most certainly for the country they are supposed to be representing.

Jack, you've got something there ...

With the world becoming one big melting pot, dividing its population by nationality is appearing very dated.

I've got a good idea, why don't we do it by colour of a person's skin.

same sort of logic as by country (well, illogic really)

Oh, somebody said it's already been tried.

Nothing wrong with wanting our stars to be as true bred British as possible.

That is after all the whole point of labouring the point that someone's from the UK: that they're one of us.

What isn't right here as twizzle implies, is that Konta represented Australia up until 2012.

The fact that the sporting bodies allow these switches well into adulthood is crazy.

Nice to see Bob Marley getting a mention here. May have had a military background but the fearless Buffalo Soldier dodged the draft when it suited him.

Been here for 11 years since age 14.  Has an English accent.  In semis of austrian open.

That'll do for me.

Austrian!!!

Don`t want to see a white person running for China, that would not seem right. Ilike Chinese people to be chinese

You're missing the point...she is an Australian(not Austrian) who up to 2012 was plying her trade for her country of birth...can't suddenly just become a brit because it suits your agenda.

why did she change from Australian to Brit.

Came to Britain 10? years ago but still played for Oz while she lived here.

Then in 2012 ? decides to play for Britain.

Anybody know why she changed?  Sponsorship? Financial support from Britain?

Got to be a reason.

Think she had been getting some money from the LTA.

must be an aussie out there,same qualifications to be british

REFUSED because only a window cleaner

Other than Fed or Davis Cup, players don't compete under any nationality anyway. Simply competing for themselves.

That said, she is British.

You shouldn't be allowed to chop and change as it suits. Obviously financial decision on her part. If i lived in England i would not feel any loyalty to her. She's Australian. It's the same in athletics there's a fair few american women sprinters claiming to be British. Not right imo and the way the media are fawning over it is wrong. Money should not be a reason to change allegiance but it seems it is. Wrong way to go but as long as they are winning it seems everyone is happy.

Singing from the same hymn sheet anfeild.

Darlo...NO SHE IS NOT FFS!!

Several key matters say otherwise.

What about Jack Grealish ? Had one month of outstanding footy last year, pressurized to declare for England, now his Footy career has been hung out to dry by the FA.

shd take up womens tennis bit lightweight tho

Jack Grealish could have declared for us. ROI. I'm actually he didn't because he was a prik about it. However this stuff is different. England are picking off and claiming sport stars due to money incentives. It's wrong and the media should not be bigging them up.

JG was developed through Irish Under age system, ( obviously overlooked by the FA ) then JG grabs a few headlines in Cup run last year. then lazy FA step in, he's ours thank you very much. Agree with you, he left it too late to declare either way. Career in the Championship looming because of it unfortunetely, me thinks.

British athletes should be renamed anyone who has money to re locate here. Lord Coe of athletic's and the rest tainted cunnnts. Claiming athlete's just get back to basic's and find your own.

England are claiming no one.

She lived in Britain since she was 11, so Konta is entitled to British citizenship.

Indeed she received LTA funding, but that funding was dropped Konta now trains in Spain. If she was that fickle about her nationality surely she would have switched again.


As for the BBC "claiming" Conor McGregor it was one donk messing up a news report, not some kind of underlying conspiracy. Get a grip please.

At least she looks English.

I love watching Mo Farah beating off all those Africans.

"I love watching Mo Farah beating off all those Africans"


An unfortunate turn of phrase.

Konta played a very decent tournament, and probably took a few too many scalps to be anointed with the title 'Plucky British Loser'.

That's an honour normally reserved for a Brit who makes a first/second round exit against a higher-ranked player, having only gained entry to the tournament in the first place via the 'wildcard' route.

Fingers crossed my old school chum Naomi Wacaday will be back this Summer to rock our world again at SW19.