In the wake of the success of the national youth soccer team in the U20 Mondialeto, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel established an advisory committee that will examine and formulate standards on the issue of hosting foreign athletes in the State of Israel.
More Stories:
The committee will be chaired by (retired) Judge Sarah Frisch, and her recommendations should give tools to the Population and Immigration Authority to determine who are the foreign athletes who will be eligible for Israeli citizenship.
For years, the Population and Immigration Authority has been receiving applications regarding the granting of citizenship to foreign athletes on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and various sports clubs, such as Portuguese soccer player Miguel Vitor of the Hapoel Beersheba club, who became an integral part of the Israel national team; Ali Muhammad from Maccabi Haifa; and Jenny Sims, who will take part in the upcoming EuroBasket.
These athletes are defined according to Israeli law as foreign workers and there is no specific legislation that regulates their case. The matter is governed by regulations only, mainly by those of the various unions.
So far, no egalitarian, reasonable and fair criteria have been defined in the State of Israel, according to which the Population and Immigration Authority would be able to objectively determine which foreign athlete is entitled to Israeli citizenship and which is not. Therefore, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel decided to regulate the issue and establish professional standards.
The decision, according to Arbel, was also made against the backdrop of the tremendous success of the national youth soccer team in the U20 Mondialeto, and with the understanding that wholesale granting of citizenship of foreign athletes to play in the country could harm the promotion of outstanding Israeli youth.
2 View gallery
Kenyan runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter received Israeli citizenship
(Israel Athletic Association)
The committee members announced on Tuesday are: retired judge Sarah Frisch; Liron Cohen, former captain of the Israeli basketball team; Roi Ben Tolila, paralympic athlete and member of the Israeli national team in wheelchair basketball; Naor Peser, former soccer player; Eli Sahar, journalist and senior sports commentator.
"Promoting sports and sports education is a national interest. Foreign athletes are an integral part of many sports in Israel. Some of them stay in Israel for years, and their contribution to the country is significant and important. We do not ignore this when requests for citizenship arrive and treat them seriously. In addition, we are committed to giving the younger generation the equal and full opportunity to develop and grow when they reach adulthood," Arbel said.
"These days we see how important it is to invest in the children of Israeli citizens and to give them all the tools for growth and success. With a forward-looking view, the advisory committee we are establishing today will allow the minister together with the Population and Immigration Authority to make the most correct decisions while balancing the various needs. I thank the members of the committee and greatly appreciate their agreement to take part in settling this important issue and wish them great success," he said.