Am I the only one that thinks this is totally weird!?! Pretending you are Swiss doesn't stop anyone who knows tennis knowing you are American and seems quite disrespectful to her country considering what happened in September.
Woman without a country
American asks to be listed as Swiss on draw sheet
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Posted: Wednesday October 17, 2001 10:28 AM
ZURICH (Reuters) -- American Kimberly Po is playing under the Swiss flag at the Swisscom Challenge this week as a precaution following the attacks in the United States.
Po, who is partnering French veteran Nathalie Tauziat in the doubles at the $1.1 million event, asked the WTA to list her as Swiss on the entry draw, despite not possessing a Swiss passport or citizenship.
The link the 29-year-old Californian has to the tiny alpine nation comes from her marriage to Oliver Messerli, who holds dual Swiss-South African citzenship.
"I feel a lot safer, a lot more secure after everything that happened on September 11," said Po.
The WTA said in the interests of security it was allowing players, who can legally change nationalities, to be temporarily listed as being from another country on the draw list.
Woman without a country
American asks to be listed as Swiss on draw sheet
Click here for more on this story
Posted: Wednesday October 17, 2001 10:28 AM
ZURICH (Reuters) -- American Kimberly Po is playing under the Swiss flag at the Swisscom Challenge this week as a precaution following the attacks in the United States.
Po, who is partnering French veteran Nathalie Tauziat in the doubles at the $1.1 million event, asked the WTA to list her as Swiss on the entry draw, despite not possessing a Swiss passport or citizenship.
The link the 29-year-old Californian has to the tiny alpine nation comes from her marriage to Oliver Messerli, who holds dual Swiss-South African citzenship.
"I feel a lot safer, a lot more secure after everything that happened on September 11," said Po.
The WTA said in the interests of security it was allowing players, who can legally change nationalities, to be temporarily listed as being from another country on the draw list.