Olympic gamble no guarantee of passport to success for dream-chasing trio
Try putting yourself in the shoes of sevens veterans Nick Hewson, Lee Jones and Ben Rimene, and then consider what decision you would take on giving up your birthright to chase a dream.
Try putting yourself in the shoes of sevens veterans Nick Hewson, Lee Jones and Ben Rimene, and then consider what decision you would take on giving up your birthright to chase a dream.
This is the vexing issue facing three longstanding servants who in a few weeks’ time will be eligible for a permanent Hong Kong ID card having lived here for seven years. This paves the way for them to apply for an SAR passport, a necessity if they were to represent Hong Kong at the Rio Olympics next year.
But it is not a straightforward issue. Do they give up their New Zealand passports to acquire the local document knowing that, firstly, Hong Kong isn’t guaranteed an Olympic berth, and secondly, their places in the squad are not signed, sealed and delivered.
IOC rules state that athletes must have the passport of the country they wish to represent. World Rugby laws are more lax – a three-year residency is sufficient if you don’t have a parent or grandparent from the country you want to play for.
So Hewson, Jones and Rimene face a massive decision. It might be easier if they were all youngsters in their early 20s and with much to look forward to, but they are past 30 and at the tail end of their playing days.
The experience they bring is invaluable, especially in the forwards where Hewson and Jones have put in the hard yards. Youngsters such as Calvin Hunter and Richard Lewis are being groomed to step into their shoes but will they be ready by November? This is the dilemma facing Gareth Baber, the head coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
The Olympic question will make the Asian Sevens Series much more interesting this year. It kicks off in Shanghai in early September with two more legs taking place in Bangkok and, most likely, Colombo. The series will give Baber the chance to assess the progress of our young guns – all of whom have SAR passports.
At last year’s Asian Games in Incheon – where Hong Kong won the silver medal – Hewson, Jones and Rimene were not picked because that event was also played under IOC regulations.
Now the trio are on the verge of receiving their permanent ID cards, thus crossing the first hurdle.
To return to the original question, it is understood all three are willing to give up their Kiwi papers to keep alive their hopes of becoming Olympians with their Hong Kong team-mates.
And that’s a huge gamble – one for which they should be lauded.
