South Africa’s Richard Murray, married to Dutch pro triathlete Rachel Klamer, will join the Dutch national triathlon squad as of now and therefor no longer race for South Africa. In a press release, the Dutch federation stated the transfer will be made official by World Triathlon as of March 2022.
“I have lived in the Netherlands during the summer period. I love the country and the way sport is organized. I like working with the NTB (the Dutch national triathlon federation, ed.) and I look forward to representing the Netherlands in World Triathlon races once I have fully recovered from my heart surgery“, Murray stated.
The South African athlete looks forward to a future in the Netherlands. “One day I hope to be a coach and I believe my future is in the Netherlands. My wife is Dutch and at some point in the future we will live there full time. I think I will be a good benefit to the Dutch team. And I happen to like ‘oliebollen’ (a Dutch food, ed.) and cheese, so that works out perfectly.”
That Murray could make his transfer to the NTB so fast is thanks to Triathlon South Africa’s quick approval, which allowed for a shorter transfer period. It means that Murray already represents the Netherlands during the qualification period for Paris 2024. Besides Murray joining the national squad, a process for naturalization started too. Only when Murray has officially obtained the Dutch nationality and after approval of the International Olympic Committee, Murray is allowed to represent the Netherlands at the Olympics.
Until the transfer is finalized, Murray will race under the World Triathlon flag.
