The Balar Mateo Sanz sails under Swiss flag (Photo Pedro Martínez)

It is increasingly common to see cases of athletes who are from one country participating in JJOO representing another. In addition to the globalization in which we are installed, some cases are for reasons of force majeure resulting from geopolitical conflicts, others for the so-called "express nationalizations" moved by economic interest to achieve results, or those athletes who welcome their dual nationality to have better options to participate in them.

This is the case of Mateo Sanz Lanz, a 22-year-old man born in Formentera who, by virtue of his dual nationality, as the son of a Spanish father and a Swiss mother, will come to Rio under the Swiss flag. With his sixth place in the recent RS: X World Championship, Mateo has won the Olympic passport for Rio 2016; in view of the difficulty of challenging the Olympic Square to Ivan Pastor, who won the Plaza for Spain in the 2014 Santander World Cup, endorsed by his brilliant career in lower categories, in 2013, Mateo joined the Swiss team by choosing a less complicated way to compete for his mother's country.

Recognition of the CS Formentera to which will be its first Olympic and also the first of Formentera.

Mateo resides in his native Formentera, part of the surf club of Formentera, he trains under the direction of an expert such as Aier Fernández who was Olympic in Barcelona 1992. Despite his youth, he already has the sub17 (2007) world subchampionship, the sub19 (2010) world title and a third in the sub 23 (2011) category. There is a curious case, in the pre-Olympic race held in Rio last August, Mateo Sanz was sixth to only two points of Ivan Pastor who finished 5th and in this world has repeated sixth place but this time ahead of Pastor, seventh.

Although it is a non-sea country, Switzerland has had a continued presence in the Olympic sailing competitions. The precedent was given in Paris 1900 with the Condes de Pourtailes, Hernan and Helene and their nephew Bernard, who won the gold and silver medals in the 1 to 2 ton boat races a class that was only Olympic in those games. Since the JJOO 1924, except in Los Angeles 1932, Switzerland has always been present in the Olympic sailing races, obtaining two other medals, one bronze in Rome 60 and one silver in Mexico 68, both in the 5.5m class that was Olympic between 1952 and 1968.

As you explained to me Fernando Fernández (*), author of the book "Olympic. Balears in The Games," the one by Mateo Sanz Lanz is not the first case in which a sportsman born in Ses Illes who competes in some Games under another flag, taking on his double nationality. Without going further in the London 2012 John Garcia Thompsom - a Spanish father and a British mother -, formed at the Son Amar club, competed for Britain in volley- beach forming a couple with London's Steve Groowski, who has British and American nationality, and lives in Florida. In the London Olympic tournament after losing the three games of the preliminary phase, this global couple was eliminated, but as John himself says, "There is nothing better for an athlete than to be selected for Olympic games."

Text: Juan Manuel Surroco
Blog: http: / / elmargadordejmsurrop.blogspot.com.es /
Twitter: @ SurrocaJM

* Special thanks to Fernando Fernández, who with his valuable collaboration gave rise to this article.