Mr. Jerome Pels:

The question of pension contributions may be technical but it is true of course that elite athletes basically postpone their career to a significant extent and therefore regular employment income. That would be a good point to look into.

The question of passports is interesting. I need to say this right. The passport question is important because of the rules that govern international representative teams. The rules are in place to protect us because otherwise many countries would basically shop for talent. The passport rule in the world of sport is recognised as being a good rule. Even internationally and at International Olympic Committee level there are rules and stipulations to the effect that a person cannot change passport at the drop of a hat. There is a four-year waiting time. That is to ensure people do not simply go to the country that pays the most or offers other benefits. In that sense the rule helps.

I wish to be clear: to play hockey at national level - to play for a club - there is no requirement for passports, so there is no concern about that. In fact, that is a regular occurrence in our sport. We have Irish players who play in Europe at club level. They are playing for different clubs in national competitions. In theory, a person of any nationality could play for clubs in Ireland as well. When a player represents a country, the passport becomes an issue or is subject to the rule.