Asylum Seeker Coaches England Boxing Gold
Andy Newman
One
of the most powerful aspects of sport is the way it transcends national and
racial boundaries. Although international sporting events can be linked with
chauvinism and nationalism, there is also the other side of it: that
emphasises the degree of similarity between our cultures and enthusiasms.
For example, there is huge affection in Britain for the Brazilian football
team, which represents the world’ largest black nation, and what a lasting
impact Korea’s football fever in 2002 left on our perceptions of that country.
Closer to home, Swindon light welter-weight boxer, Jamie Cox, recently won a
gold medal in the Melbourne Commonwealth games, and he was coached by Islan
Eltuyev, an asylum seeker from Chechnya (seen together with Cox in the
picture), who has been refused permission to stay by the Home Office and is
fighting deportation. Bizarrely, the British Government claim that Chechnya is
completely safe.
Defying all stereotypes of what you expect of a refugee, Islan won two titles
as Russian amateur boxing champion, and he has thrown himself into coaching at
Swindon’s Walcot Boxing Club. Ironically, because the government will not
allow asylum seekers to work, Islan was able to devote himself full time to
coaching the young hopeful, Jamie Cox.
The Eltuyev family are deeply rooted in Swindon. Their seven year old son,
Said, is a pupil at Ferndale school, and plays for Ferndale Rodbourne Youth
Football Club. Islan’s wife Zarina gave birth to a baby daughter, Angelina,
just six months ago.
Although the national newspapers. Like the Mail and the Express, whip up
hysteria about asylum seekers, local newspapers are often closer to the human
stories and supportive of the families. As the Swindon Advertiser reported:
“Jamie Cox, who trains at Walcot Boxing Club, said: "Islan has a lot of
international experience. He was number one in Russia, which along with Cuba
is the top country in the world for amateur boxing. He should be allowed to
stay in the country." Jamie's mum, Belinda Russen, 38, of Middleleaze, has
observed the progress Jamie has made since Islan became involved in her son's
training. She said: "Jamie's come on leaps and bounds since working with Islan.
I definitely think he should be allowed to stay. Harry Scott, head coach at
Walcot Boxing Club, said: "Jamie needed one-to-one coaching at the time and I
asked Islan to work with him. He would be a good citizen in Swindon."”
Through this sporting achievement Islan Eltuyev has been able to demonstrate
that he is a man not a statistic. He is a member of our community, not an
outsider. We want him to stay. Yet his family still wait for the day when Home
Office jobs-worths knock on their door, and send them back to the killing
fields of Chechnya. Islan and Zarina are obviously telling the truth when they
say that Moslems like them are in danger from Russian death squads in their
home country
I can do no better than repeat the words of Swindon Advertiser (Adver)
columnist, Dave Andrew: “Wouldn’t it be great when the day comes and the
enforcement officers appear, instead of confronting one frightened family,
they had to deal with a crowd of boxers, boxers’ mums, members of parliament,
mayors and Adver readers and writers? What an opportunity to show that Swindon
is a town that really cares”.
Picture credit:
https://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.719648.0.let_coach_stay_here.php
April 2006
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