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A Ghanean website reported that heptathlete Margaret Simpson could have switched to Mauritius in the future. But besides the fact that an international athlete can't switch citizenship that easily (the athlete has to wait at least one year without international competition after the last competition for the home country), the detail relating to the move seem "too big" for the story to be taken seriously. Mauritian journalist Reynolds Quirin wanted to react to the case though... Margaret Simpson : « I was proposed 5 000 dollars per month to represent Mauritius… » 
Ghana's Margaret Simpson, a member of Mauritius' International Training Centre (CIAM), and heptathlon gold medallist at the just finished All-Africa Games reported that she received an enticing proposition from Mauritius' authorities to switch allegiance in favour of the island. Margaret Simpson thus revealed to Ghanaweb.com, the web portal for Ghana, that Mauritius would offer her a house, a car and a 5 000 dollars monthly salary (about Rs 150 000). « Given that we don’t get much support in Ghana, I was really tempted by the offer», Margaret Simpson explained on the Ghanaweb.com website. Still according to Ghanaweb.com, Margaret Simpson would have changed her mind: after discussions with Ghanaian sports officials, she promised to keep representing her mother country for good. « I had a number of grievances but the authorities have assured me that they would attend to them promptly », Margaret Simpson declared on Ghanaweb.com. Info or brainwashing ? However, this proposition from Mauritius is confusing. Without downplaying Margaret Simpson's potential, it has to be acknowledged that she doesn't rank among the best athletes in the world. Meanwhile Stéphan Buckland and Eric Milazar, who belong to the worl elite – as shown by their place in final at this year's world championships in Paris – don't get more than Rs 20 000 (about US$ 700) from the Mauritian state. Even Kenyan-born Stephen Cherono, the 3 000m steeple world champion, who opted for Qatar, only gets US$ 3 000 per month (about Rs 90 000). How could Mauritius be able to offer her a huge monthly wage of Rs 150 000 while she doesn't even rank in the world elite and, worse, to the detriment of our own athletes ? « We absolutely don't know anything about this. The Mauritius Amateur Athletics Association has nothing to do with the proposition Margaret Simpson would have received. I don't think that such a thing would be conceivable in the context of Mauritius », claims Suren Ayadassen, the president of Mauritius Amateur Athletics Association (AMAA), who doesn't hide his surprise. Margaret Simpson maybe wanted to rise the bidding with the Ghanian authorities to hit the jackpot. Reynolds QUIRIN
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