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Warning: Points system will severely impact on sport |
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Monday, 10 March 2008 |
The new points-based migration system will create serious difficulties for Scottish sport and the UK’s ability to host major sports events will be “severely damaged”, according to the Scottish Sports Association.
In a letter sent today to Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell, the
Association’s policy director Chris Robison warned that under
Government proposals the UK runs the risk of losing major sporting
events to other host countries because of the perceived risks of
gaining entry to the UK.
The fact that the organisers of sporting events will be expected to
become licensed, and pay per capita fees for competitors, as well as
taking on responsibility for them was also a major concern.
There will also be a loss of economic benefit from tourism if visitors
such as golfers, whose travel plans include entry into amateur and open
events, are no longer allowed to enter the UK on tourist visas, the
letter warned.
Under the new system the Border and Immigration Agency plans to include
non-EU sports competitors and their support teams in the new “Tier 5”
category of migrants to the UK.
Robison told Holyrood magazine: “These new rules are bad for sport and bad for the Scottish economy and culture.
“It will make it impossible for many organisations to host
international events, make it impossible to combine a holiday with
participation in sports events and force international sporting bodies
to question the practicality of running events in this country.”
The Association called on Maxwell to represent its concerns to the UK
Government, and said that a “Sports Visa” category based on the
Australian model would alleviate many of the potential problems that it
had raised.
The SSA’s letter also included multiple examples of the potential
impact of the new system, such as the 3,000 opens every year in
Scotland that attract golf visitors and the costs that would have been
incurred in hosting the World Team Badminton Championships this year.
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