How Can the FTN Persuade Young Tunisian Swimmer Rami Rahmouni to Give Up a Naturalization Offer from a Gulf Country?
The Press — We announced it in these same columns a while back, and no one seemed to care at the level of the MJS or the federation, whose provisional committee has little latitude to resolve an issue that exceeds its authority. Indeed, how can the FTN convince young Rami Rahmouni to give up a sports naturalization offer from a Gulf country? It's rumored to be Saudi Arabia, but all we know is that Rahmouni, who left France where he was training under Philippe Lucas, has joined this country where he is now training. Contacts began a long time ago. In fact, Rahmouni, perhaps advised by his future recruiters, avoided participating in competitions under the Tunisian flag. At the last Junior World Championships, he was "injured." We are not in a position to verify this, it's up to the federation to do so.
An Outdated Regulation
However, this topic, which has been extensively discussed on the airwaves, has not been presented as it should be. Rahmouni may have thought he could naturalize after a year of inactivity under the colors of his birth country. This is what a director of his club said. This regulation is outdated. The sports naturalization regulation in swimming, enacted by World Aquatics (formerly FINA), which defines the conditions for a swimmer to change their sports nationality, now requires a minimum residence of three years in the new country and recognition by national federations. Before the Paris Games, World Aquatics tightened the regulations: "Less than 500 days before the Paris 2024 Games, the International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics, formerly FINA) decided to tighten its regulations on nationality changes. It is now required for a swimmer to prove that they have resided in a country for at least three years before being able to compete under its colors. The previous rule only required one year of residence. The same three-year period is also mandatory between the last competition for their birth country and the first with their new adopted country. The decision by the international body to tighten its rules is no coincidence. It comes just over a year before the Paris 2024 Games, where the issue of Russian and Belarusian swimmers' participation is still unresolved. With its new regulation, World Aquatics eliminates any risk of seeing a surge in nationality change requests from athletes from the two countries at war with Ukraine."
The Art of Negotiation
Thus, according to these new provisions, Rahmouni must first reside for three years before doing anything, and as a minor, he must have his parents' agreement. By then, the interested authorities may have had time to wake up from their torpor and try something. With the means at our disposal and the conditions for managing our sport, we need to know how to negotiate. Yes, negotiate, because we are lagging behind in this area. Good luck!
