Opportunity, Work and Ancestry: Sport and New Brazilians

As host of the 2016 Olympic Games, Brazil had in its delegation 24 athletes born in other countries. This number draws attention because the nation adopts jus soli as the principal criterion for granting citizenship, which means people born in Brazilian territory have the country’s citizenship. Those born abroad can become Brazilians through naturalization or ancestry – without adopting the jus sanguinis; Brazil favors the children of its natives, born abroad, to obtain citizenship. The water polo (seven athletes) and grass hockey (six athletes) teams were the leading Brazilian teams that benefited from these new Brazilians. Through the methodology of biographical narratives, and analyzing the theories of migration to Brazil, it is possible to trace the profile of these 13 athletes. The two female water polo players, born in France, are twin sisters, daughters of Brazilian parents who have built their sporting trajectories in Brazil. The remaining eleven athletes began their path abroad. Four of them (three from hockey and one from water polo) became Brazilians after marrying citizens of the country – Brazilian law also makes it easier for people under these conditions to obtain citizenship. Another five athletes in this group (three from hockey and two from water polo) are the children of a Brazilian mother or father, although before representing Brazil in sports competitions they had never lived in the country; they began their careers abroad, and had weak ties with the country which were strengthened by the presence of the teams. Returned Brazilians can be considered in a cyclical migration process. Closing the group, two water polo athletes did not have ancestral or matrimonial ties with Brazilians, but were naturalized in an instrumental procedure – some authors classify this type of migrant as "mercenaries." Sports professionals, they accepted the proposal made by the Brazilian Confederation of Water Sports to change nationality, in a process that brought gains both for the athletes (mainly financial) and for the team, which gained reinforcements. When analyzing the formation of the Brazilian teams of hockey on the grass and water polo for the Rio Olympic Games, it is possible to notice characteristics that make deterritorialization a global phenomenon in current times. In conclusion, it is possible to see that instrumental naturalization, even if it exists, is rare, and understanding the migration processes of most athletes needs a broad investigation, focusing not only on economic aspects but also on social and cultural ones.