[flobadob]

Originally Posted by walterwhite

Being born in Belgium doesn't mean you're not British.

I have nieces and nephews born and raised there who are as British as Bisto.
It's a bit of a made-up country in any case.

And being born in India didn't make George Orwell or Cliff Richard Indian, did it?

[Mark F]

We could do with all the world class sportsmen we can get so Farah and Wiggins are certainly OURS!



I wonder if England start losing in the cricket will it be called South African "B"

[joebloggs35]

but surely you have to draw the line at the 8 South African cricketers England have nicked from the Proteas in the last few years. including the two heir apparents to the terminally injured wicket keeper Mark Boucher.

Lumb, Keiswetter, Durnbach, Meaker, Strauss, Prior, Pietersen and Trott.

and please don't give me the old adage that they all schooled here and are as British as Lamb (Alan Lamb? nope he's South African too!). All except Strauss and Prior arrived here well after their schooling days had finished. i can see a day in the not too distant future when virtually all the England test team have Saffer origins. i guess, i shouldn't be surprised as South Africa make bloody good cricketers (and sportsmen in general). must be all that big game meat they eat!

[miss buzzybee]

He looks like a member of Soulwax - Belgian electro rock band!

[striing]

Originally Posted by RepublicOfYorks

I think you know Bradley and Mo are London as soon as they open their mahves, innit?

Bit like Rod Stewart, despite his ridiculous protestations to be Scottish.... what comes out of your mouth when you talk says an awful lot about what you are and where you're from.

Oh dear I don't think the tennis fans would like that definition - have you heard Virginia Wade speak?

[walterwhite]

Originally Posted by joebloggs35

but surely you have to draw the line at the 8 South African cricketers England have nicked from the Proteas in the last few years. including the two heir apparents to the terminally injured wicket keeper Mark Boucher.

Lumb, Keiswetter, Durnbach, Meaker, Strauss, Prior, Pietersen and Trott.

and please don't give me the old adage that they all schooled here and are as British as Lamb (Alan Lamb? nope he's South African too!). All except Strauss and Prior arrived here well after their schooling days had finished. i can see a day in the not too distant future when virtually all the England test team have Saffer origins. i guess, i shouldn't be surprised as South Africa make bloody good cricketers (and sportsmen in general). must be all that big game meat they eat!

Pietersen's mother is English so you can knock him off the list straightaway. Lumb's father is English, Kieswetter's mother is Scottish. You see where i'm going with this?

[The Mc]

And what about Greg Rudeski?

Rusedski was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to an English mother and a German-born father of Polish–Ukrainian descent. He was a very promising junior player in Canada in the 1980s and subsequently caused some anger in Canada when he decided to adopt British citizenship and play for Britain in 1995.

[Glengavel]

Originally Posted by flobadob

Jacques Brel and King Leopold too.

* Curses, someone beat me to Jacques Brel.

Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Adolphe Sax.

[JohnnyForget]

Originally Posted by swingaleg

So...........we've now got George Simenon, Hercule Poirot and Bradley Wiggins

There goes that quiz question................

Originally Posted by jsmith99

You've forgotten the greatest two : Jacques Brel and Audrey Hepburn. Both born in Brussels, within a month of each other.

Originally Posted by flobadob

Jacques Brel and King Leopold too.

* Curses, someone beat me to Jacques Brel.

Originally Posted by batdude_uk1

Don't forget Phillipe Albert!

Originally Posted by RepublicOfYorks

Plastic Bertrand.

There's yer five.

Originally Posted by flobadob

And sticking with the cycling theme, there is of course Eddy Merckx.
And how could we forget Django Reinhardt?

The problem with famous Belgians is that although they may be famous, people often say, "oooh, I didn't know he was Belgian".

Originally Posted by Glengavel

Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Adolphe Sax.

Not to mention Hergé, creator of "Tintin", and Toots Thielemans, the world's greatest ever Jazz harmonica player.

[Marmite Baby]

Originally Posted by swingaleg

So...........we've now got George Simenon, Hercule Poirot and Bradley Wiggins

There goes that quiz question................

Just forgotten the greatest cyclist ever - Eddie Merckx (The Cannibal).

[jsmith99]

The question of an athlete's nationality became a farce when zola budd went through the whole naturalisation (is that the word?) process in a few days so that she could run for GB.

[Unigal07]

Your nationality is so much more than where you happened to be born. It's where your roots are, how you identify yourself. I was born in England but lived in Wales til I was 18, and have Welsh speaking family. I'm Welsh. The nearest hospital when my mum went into labour just happened to be in England.

[breppo]

Originally Posted by swingaleg

So...........we've now got George Simenon, Hercule Poirot and Bradley Wiggins

There goes that quiz question................

Let's not forget judoka Elco van der Geest and speed skater Bart Veldkamp.

[Wallasey Saint]

Rugby players, Henry Paul & Shontayne Hape, played International level for New Zealand Rugby League, & when both players went to Union they both played for England, both qualified to play for England under residentship rules.

[Big*Bear]

On the basis that the British Empire ruled most of the world at one time or another, including Belgium, and of course Australia, the location of ones birth is irrelevant to nationality. Everyone that matters is technically a Brit. Now that Wiggo lives in Lancashire is even better. Lets hope he can lose the London accent and adopt the more appropriate dulcet tones of Northwestern cycling great, Chris Boardman. ROFL

[MotherTeresa]

Australia-born Laura Robson features in the mixed tennis doubles later on.

[JohnnyForget]

Originally Posted by Big*Bear

On the basis that the British Empire ruled most of the world at one time or another, including Belgium, and of course Australia, the location of ones birth is irrelevant to nationality. Everyone that matters is technically a Brit. Now that Wiggo lives in Lancashire is even better. Lets hope he can lose the London accent and adopt the more appropriate dulcet tones of Northwestern cycling great, Chris Boardman. ROFL

Belgium was never part of the British Empire! Which revisionist history books have you been reading?

Oh, and Wiggo, keep your your London accent mate, don't go all ee by gum on us!

[jon8769]

Bradley's dad was an Aussie. Gasps.

[jsmith99]

Originally Posted by JohnnyForget

Belgium was never part of the British Empire! Which revisionist history books have you been reading?................

It's possible it was, but nobody noticed.

Don't get me wrong, I love Belgium. I think it has some of the best food and drink in the world.

[planets]

Originally Posted by JohnnyForget

Belgium was never part of the British Empire! Which revisionist history books have you been reading?

Oh, and Wiggo, keep your your London accent mate, don't go all ee by gum on us!

not sure but we owned most of france under Henry II !!!!!!

[jon8769]

Remember Agincourt!!

[Gilbertoo]

Isn't there a 38yr old (!!) gymnast now representing Germany instead of her native country? Didn't she change nationality so her son could receive treatment for leukemia?

Also, isn't there brothers who run middle distance (possibly steeplechase). One of them was paid to change nationality (Qatar rings a bell) so the brothers now represent different countries!

[I, Candy]

Originally Posted by jsmith99

It's possible it was, but nobody noticed.

Don't get me wrong, I love Belgium. I think it has some of the best food and drink in the world.

They invented chips, our national food, so that kind of makes them a little bit British I guess.

[JohnnyForget]

Originally Posted by planets

not sure but we owned most of france under Henry II !!!!!!

That's true, but Henry II was King of England, not Great Britain, which didn't become an entity until James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I of England, the thrones (but not the parliaments, yet) of both countries were united, and the King declared himself James I of Great Britain. The British Empire didn't happen until much later, and included much of the World outside Europe, and definitely not France and Belgium.

[planets]

Originally Posted by JohnnyForget

That's true, but Henry II was King of England, and Great Britain didn't happen until James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I of England, the thrones (but not the parliaments, yet) of both countries were united, and the King declared himself James I of Great Britain. The British Empire didn't happen until much later, and included much of the World outside Europe, and definitely not France and Belgium.

pft details details i'm sure we could still claim all their medallists