Will swap citizenship, move to your country and even marry to compete for your Olympic team if the price is right. Here at the Rio Games, Bahrain's delegation of 30 athletes includes exactly four Bahraini natives. The reasons for what noted Olympic historian David Wallechinsky calls a "braun drain" and others a "passport swap" or "transfer of allegiance" are varied. Wallechinsky also thinks a limit on foreign-born athletes on each national team, or the number allowed to compete in any given sport, might work as well. Mallon also said removing the exception allowing the national Olympic committees involved to override the rule already on the IOC books might turn the trick.

Source: New Zealand Herald August 16, 2016 04:30 UTC