hrothgar, on May 9 2008, 04:53 PM, said:
I am more than a bit confused
How does the right to represent a team get determined?
1. Citizenship
2. Country of residence
3. Country of birth
<snip>
In a similar vein, Balicki - Zmudzinski on the Russian team. I seem to recall that they were toying with repesenting Spain at one point in time, so who knows what's permitted.
Players, who are not citizens of the country they wish to represent in international bridge championships, may be allowed to rely on the Bona Fide Residence Requirement if they are able to satisfy the sponsoring organisation of the legitimacy of their residence.
The proviso is incorporated within the sponsoring organisations conditions of participation to facilitate the opportunity for those players who have relocated to a country, that is not the country of their birth and, who genuinely and continuously reside in the country that they now wish to represent.
Bona Fide Residence is one's actual or true residence, maintained in good faith, and does not include a temporary residence or superficial residence established for convenience or for the purpose of circumventing the conditions of representative participation.
It is for the player who seeks to rely upon this requirement to satisfy the European Bridge League and demonstrate the genuineness of their residence. It is not to allow the transfer of a players allegiance for any reason other than their genuine relocation to a country that is not the country of their birth. Those players who are unable to demonstrate to the absolute satisfaction of the EBLs Credentials Committee will not be allowed to represent the chosen country in international championships.
The following criteria will apply for those players seeking reliance upon the Bona Fide Residency Requirement:
- 1. The player must establish bona fide residence in the country that they seek to represent for at least two years prior to the start of the year within which they wish to participate; and
- 2. The player must have a visa or permit that allows them to remain in that country for a period of at least one year; or
- 3. The laws of that country allow the player to remain in that country for a period of at least one year.
Residence may be established and supported by the production documents from at least three of the following categories:
Voters registration
Driver's licence
Local or national tax records
Homeowner or tenant records
Medical records
Utility bills (gas, electric, water, telephone, mobile phone, waste disposal)
Financial records (loan, credit, investments, etc)
Welfare records
Vehicle records
Such other documents that may demostrate residence.
In addition, players who seek to rely upon the Bona Fide Residence Requirement must submit a written application that contains the following information:
Details of their previous country of residence and the date on which they relocated to the present residence.
If they represented their previous country in any international championships, the dates and detail of any such representation.
A signed statement that they are a Bona Fide Resident of the country which they now seek to represent.
If the Credentials Committee is not satisfied with the documents submitted it may require further proof and/or information.
A player who has represented a country two or more times during the previous five years shall continue to be treated as being eligible to represent that country.
Players should be fully aware that by competing for a country other than that of their nationality (i.e. for which they hold or are entitled to hold a passport), they may jeopardise their eligibility to participate in a subsequent Olympic Bridge Event or Olympic Qualifier.
Approved by the EBL Executive Committee, Wroclaw, Poland, November 2007
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