What Makes an Olympic Athlete Change Their Citizenship?

Why are two of the best divers in Mexico competing for a nation that is definitely not Mexico during this year’s Summer Olympics? The rules for who can represent a given nation vary dramatically depending on the sport and competition. When it comes to soccer, for instance, familial connections give some players a number of options — which is why UEFA European Championship standout Nico Williams represents Spain, while his brother Iñaki Williams represents Ghana on an international level.

When it comes to the Olympics, though, things are a little more strict. “Any competitor in the Olympic Games must be a national of the country of the NOC which is entering such competitor,” the International Olympic Committee declares (and goes on to clarify that dual nationals can only compete for one nation). That’s what makes the case of Victoria Garza and Jonathan Ruvalcaba — who’ll be competing for the Dominican Republic in this summer’s Olympics — so compelling.

In a new article for El País, Daniel Morales Olea explained why Garza and Ruvalcaba have opted to seek Dominican citizenship in order to follow their Olympic dreams. Morales Olea explains that both athletes clashed with the Mexican Swimming Federation over competition selection or professional development expenses. This is not the first time the federation has come under criticism: Swimming World published an article in 2021 detailing multiple athletes’ frustrations with what they felt was a lack of support from their national governing body.

It’s not just elite divers and swimmers, either: El País details a number of other elite Mexican athletes who opted to represent other nations in Olympic competitions during the last decade or so.

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Still, Mexico is far from the other country where athletes have chosen to pursue other citizenship to follow their chosen sport. In 2022, the Associated Press cited the example of bobsledder Kaillie Humphries, who has represented both Canada and the United States at the Olympic level. There are plenty of reasons why athletes might take their talents elsewhere, from personality clashes to greater levels of opportunity, and Garza and Ruvalcaba are unlikely to be the last Olympians to do so.