Sevens stars face hurdle to get to Rio

NZ Herald

12 Jun, 2015 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Malakai Fekitoa will need a waiver if he is to compete at Rio. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Strict citizenship rules governing Olympic qualification could rule out leading players.

New Zealand's prospects of claiming rugby sevens gold at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics have suffered a blow with at least three leading contenders for Sir Gordon Tietjens' squad ineligible due to nationality rules.

The Herald understands eight-test All Black Malakai Fekitoa - who is being lined up as a key member of the Rio squad - will need special citizenship approval if he is to compete at the Games.

Born on the Ha'apai island group in Tonga, Fekitoa came to New Zealand on a rugby scholarship with Wesley College in 2009. The blockbusting 23-year-old will not meet the five-year residency requirement before the cut-off point for Games selection.

Fekitoa's Highlanders teammate Waisake Naholo and former Blues speedster David Raikuna are believed to be in similar positions despite having played for the All Blacks Sevens team in the past.

The strict citizenship rules governing Olympic qualification have already affected the All Blacks Sevens team, with Sir Gordon confirming he was unable to field Raikuna and Naholo in qualification events.

"They couldn't play for me in the qualifying year for the Olympics because they had Fijian passports," Sir Gordon said.

A "long list" of athletes who are in line for Olympic selection must be submitted to the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) by August 5. Athletes on the list must provide a declaration that they are a New Zealand citizen, an NZOC spokeswoman confirmed. They must then submit a passport for accreditation processing, which was likely to take place in the first quarter of 2016.

Fekitoa's manager Bruce Sharrock said he did not know his client's nationality status and could not discuss it.

A Department of Internal Affairs spokesman said citizenship applications were assessed against set criteria and then referred to Minister Peter Dunne with a recommendation. Mr Dunne would then make the decision on whether citizenship should be granted .

Mr Dunne said he had not had any discussions with NZ Rugby officials about citizenship applications but was "aware of whom you are talking about".

"I've not received any material in relation to Fekitoa or any other prominent rugby player," he said, adding that he would not speculate. "What I would say is that I've certainly had no approaches. I wouldn't discuss any individual's application anyway."

He added: "By and large the message we are giving sports authorities is to check eligibility before selecting people."

A spokeswoman for Sports and Recreation Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman said the minister had not discussed the issue with NZ Rugby or Internal Affairs.

"It's for each sport to determine which athletes it selects for the Olympics in accordance with the relevant eligibility criteria," the spokeswoman said. "However, there is provision in the Citizenship Act 1977 for fast-tracking citizenship requests in exceptional circumstances."

The decision to grant citizenship to an athlete at short notice has backfired on the government before. Russian pole-vaulter Denis Petouchinski was granted citizenship just days before the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur despite having visited New Zealand on holiday for the first time less than a year earlier. He was subsequently stripped of his silver medal and banned for four years after failing a drugs test.

All Blacks such as Sitiveni Sivivatu and Joe Rokocoko had passed up the opportunity to play for New Zealand at Commonwealth Games in the past as it would have meant giving up Fijian citizenship, which was useful when playing in Europe, Sir Gordon said.

Fiji introduced legislation in 2009 allowing dual citizenship, meaning the likes of Raikuna and Naholo would no longer be required to give up their Fijian passports. Long-serving Fijian-Kiwi Sevens stars Tomasi Cama and Lote Raikabula are both New Zealand citizens.