Pride of the nation
When three top-tier Mongolian judokas announced last week that they would be changing their nationality to compete for the United Arab Emirates, it shook the sports world and left many fans bitter.
Shortly after the auspicious days of Tsagaan Sar, Mongolia’s prized judokas D.Tumurkhuleg, N.Dagvasuren and B.Temuulen had an unpleasant surprise for the nation which puts great value and pride on the sport of judo.
Although this trend is nothing new in sports in the modern and increasingly globalized world, the practice is still a relatively new one in Mongolia, and when athletes changed their nationality to join other countries’ teams, it proved to be a divisive issue in Mongolia.
The three judokas switching teams and nationality especially didn’t sit well with many judo fans as they all had a spot on the national team and are in their prime. Fans are afraid that Mongolia might lose the few athletes who bring medals from prominent international tournaments such as the Olympic Games and World Championships. Indeed, with scarce opportunities for athletes to grow into their full potential in Mongolia’s tough economic condition, the country should be cautious of losing its few world-class athletes to rich countries that offer more glamorous opportunities at life.
Fans are afraid that Mongolia might lose the few athletes
who bring medals from prominent international tournaments such as the Olympic Games and
World Championships...
Others, however, harbor a much more relaxed view of the issue. They say that sports is a young person’s game and an individual should do whatever it takes to make the most of it and not be too burdened by false patriotic indoctrination. They argue that other countries fighting over Mongolia’s athletes is the mark of how well regarded Mongolian athletes have become in recent years, and it increases the “value” of national athletes.
It’s also noteworthy to mention that athletes in Mongolia have it extremely tough when contemplating the reasons for why athletes would want to change their nationality. No matter how hard they train and make sacrifices for their sport, some are just not able to attain their desired level of achievement simply because they aren’t able to participate in the competitions they want to due to lack finance and rare opportunities to find sponsors. An athlete’s career can be incredibly fragile and years of hard work and dreams can shatter in a single instant with an injury or some other misfortune. Dedication to a sport in Mongolia also means that athletes are obliged to sacrifice their prime years to honing their athletic skills, which leaves them with few options when they are forced to leave their sport. Many top-tier athletes choose to stay as a coach after retirement, but the vast majority have to face the real world with no prospects and no other qualifications besides their sports knowledge.
And so it seems fair that athletes, as individuals, should have the right to decide their own fate and fight for the flag that benefits them most.
In the last three years alone, four other Mongolian judokas changed their nationality to join other countries’ teams, one to Kazakhstan and three to Azerbaijan.
When G.Otgontsetseg left to join the Kazakhstani judo team three years ago, nobody had heard of her even though she trained to join the national team for six years. The athlete said that she chose to leave for Kazakhstan mainly because it became increasingly evident that her dream of competing in the Olympics will crumble away because the Mongolian national team already had a superior judoka in her division, the women’s 48 kg, which was occupied by State Honored Athlete M.Urantsetseg. Mongolian judo fans lamented when G.Otgontsetseg begun to make headlines every time she won medals for Kazakhstan from prominent international tournaments, including the Olympics and the World Championships. They believed that every medal she won for Kazakhstan could have been Mongolia’s.
Indeed, for athletes like G.Otgontsesteg, the choice to join the Kazakh team was the right one, perhaps the only decision that allowed her to capture the full realization of her dreams as she couldn’t join the nation- al team.
But D.Tumurkhuleg, N. Dag va suren, and B.Temuulen all had a spot on the national team already and have so many years left in them -- which is why it stirred such controversy when it was announced that they will fight under another country’s flag. Judo fans are afraid that they might set the wrong example for younger generations of athletes. When asked what their dream is, most young athletes say it is to win an Olympic medal for their country, but what if this dream turns into “train hard so that a rich country notices me enough to offer me a good deal”? What if Mongolia loses great prospects because it neglects those with medal-potential playing favoritism to established talents? These are worrisome thoughts for sports lovers.
Currently, the salary of an athlete on the national team ranges from 380,000 MNT to 450,000 MNT per month, hardly enough to sustain a livelihood in Mongolia – although there are further incentives and stipends for medal winners. The average annual earning of a judoka in the United Arab Emirates looks to be around 70 million MNT, which likely means top-tier athletes like D.Tumurkhuleg, N.Dagvasuren, and B.Temuulen were offered plenty of incentives to switch teams.
Looking at these figures, it’s easy to say that Mongolia should value its athletes more and provide more incentives, but that does not and cannot cover all athletes with prospects. Like it or not, this trend is here to stay and experts say all parties come out winners in the end – athletes get opportunities they otherwise couldn’t and countries win more medals.
To give a prime example of this, at the currently ongoing Pyeong Chang 2018 Winter Olympics, host country South Korea naturalized 18 athletes
leading up to the games to give do- mestic fans more athletes to cheer for and increase their odds in the medal tally.
Notable sports figures have already begun to accept the trend. Olympic bronze medalist and honored coach Ch.Damdinsharav told Unuudur, “There are two sides to everything. I will not fault athletes who are not able to outshine from other athletes in Mongolia to compete in the World Championships and the Olympics for choosing another country. This is the international trend. I received heavy injury after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics and had to end my sports career. This was very regrettable. There is no guarantee that all athletes will succeed.”
Despite this growing trend and its acceptance, we cannot but feel incredibly proud of the many athletes who choose to stay and represent their country despite the fact that they are bombarded by luring offers from abroad.
It is assuring to know that young athletes such as weightlifter M.Ankhtsetseg declined offers from four countries shortly after winning a medal from the Youth World Championships.
When asked why she declined the offers, M.Ankhtsetseg said, “I want to remain Ankhtsetseg Munkhjantsan of Mongolia. In the future, no matter how much money I’m offered from another country, I will decline. To hear our national anthem resound is my chief goal as it gives me the
greatest joy.”