I’m interested to hear people’s opinions on this. Edwina competes for Australia at the Olympics in Showjumping, she’s our best rider, she was born here, but to further her career she moved to Europe. She currently lives in the Netherlands and is based there, and lives in Monaco, and has been for 20 years. She is married to an ex-Dutch showjumper and her accent unfortuanley has lost a lot of its “Aussie”. Would you still consider her to be Australian?
Yes, of course.
Why wouldn’t you consider her Aussie?
She has an Australian passport, and she considers herself Australian, that’s good enough for me, the FEI, and the IOC.
Does she still eat meat pies? That’s the real test.
more importantly , does she consider Vegimite one of the 4 food groups
She could be dual citizen. I am but I identify as Canadian. But I am equally British/Canadian.
If I was looking to be on a team I would try to get a place on the country that would make it easiest for my chances.
Athletes in far off countries have to go to Europe where the big guns are to gain the necessary experience to play on the big stage.
We have a lot of equestrian athletes that live in the states that compete for their home country in international competition.
[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;8808981]
Yes, of course.
Why wouldn’t you consider her Aussie?
She has an Australian passport, and she considers herself Australian, that’s good enough for me, the FEI, and the IOC.[/QUOTE]
I just thought that if she has been living in the Netherlands for almost all of her life and is married to a Dutch guy, I thought that she may consider herself to be Dutch. But it’s great she is true to her roots, and I hope she keeps representing Australia. I also hope she keeps wearing the flag on her Jacket like she’s been doing this season. She really is a huge inspiration to us all back here in Australia. And about the meat pie, I doubt it, 500 calories isn’t too good for an Athlete:lol: Not to mention she has said Vegimite is her favourite food.
I think a lot of folks are willing to be flexible in their citizenship so they can increase the opportunity to compete in the Olympics (see: Danielle Goldstein & Israel, Karen Polle & Japan, a friend who is American/Israeli, but competed in London for Israel in track & field). Edwina has an easier path to the Olympics as an Australian citizen than if she became a Dutch citizen.
It was also my understanding that since Australia has such strict quarantine for horses that many Aussie equestrians choose to stay abroad for extended periods. Maybe not 20 years, but a year at a time for example to compete with the rest of the big guns.
Sorry - for anyone to be competitive at the key Olympic Equestrian events, you have to be based in Europe. Our (NZ) dressage competitor went to Europe for 4 months to get exposure - and she did brilliantly well. OUr Kiwi eventers are based mainly in GB.
If the Aussie SJ identifies herself as Australian, then she is Australian.
Wasn’t there a showjumper who declared some other country as his nationality because some rich guy paid him and a few other people to declare that nationality? (I want to say Belarus?) The rich guy also owned all the team’s horses, but then had to sell them and go into hiding for some sort of business fraud. Heard this on NBC.
ETA: from post below, it was Ukraine I’m thinking about
[QUOTE=LJD;8809122]
I think a lot of folks are willing to be flexible in their citizenship so they can increase the opportunity to compete in the Olympics (see: Danielle Goldstein & Israel, Karen Polle & Japan, a friend who is American/Israeli, but competed in London for Israel in track & field). Edwina has an easier path to the Olympics as an Australian citizen than if she became a Dutch citizen.[/QUOTE]
Same with Rene Tebbel and Ulrich Kirchhoff (Germans starting for Ukraine), who would have no chance of getting on the German team.
Since I personally know Edwina and considering many many many non-european olympic equestrian are based in europe, yeah i don’t see any reason why Edwina wouldn’t be considered Australian.
OP certainly is proud to call her Australian and recognize the bump she give showjumping in Oz.
[QUOTE=ladyj79;8809281]
Since I personally know Edwina and considering many many many non-european olympic equestrian are based in europe, yeah i don’t see any reason why Edwina wouldn’t be considered Australian.[/QUOTE]
Is she as awesome as she seems in all her interviews?? I love her and her cute little Tequila. Total riding idol! 
Huge props to Jan Tops for the great job he’s done with the Qatari riders.
I am a dual citizen of Australia and the US, living in Oz. I would say our overseas based riders are Australian. It’s great to see them representing Australia so well. The problem (as I see it) is that they go off overseas, stay forever, have lives. They get selected to represent us, do a great job and the young riders here have NO idea who they are. Our home based riders work really hard, give back to the sport here, and we “know” them. It was a LOT of fun supporting our eventing team because 2 of the 4 are based here, Chris Burton only left a few years ago and so we “know” him, too. Other than Edwina, I had no real idea who those Australian show jumpers were.
[QUOTE=ladyj79;8809281]
Since I personally know Edwina …[/QUOTE]
SO DOES SHE EAT MEAT PIES? WHAT ABOUT VEGEMITE?
I have to say one of our event riders (I’ll leave her nameless so as not to embarrass her) was so very good at writing back and letting us know her travels.
She was quick to thank everyone who supported her and paid back when she came home giving clinics to Pony Club and talks. We became really into her and loved to hear all her news. She was a role model for the kids.
This is what makes athletes real to those back home. A “Thank you” goes a very long way…not to mention the extra dollars that get raised by willing supporters.
[QUOTE=JER;8809392]
SO DOES SHE EAT MEAT PIES? WHAT ABOUT VEGEMITE?[/QUOTE]
One day I’ll try and work that into a conversation 
