12/03/2012 Newsround


12/03/2012

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We're live, it's just after 5:00pm on Monday afternoon and you're with

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Nel and Ore. Stick around with us on Newsround, cos we have a jam-

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packed show on the way. Coming up: I've been in Glasgow reclaiming the

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streets for play. And Lady Gaga's looking a bit woof.

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First, preparations for the London Olympics couldn't be going better

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for the British athletics squad. Over the weekend, they won nine

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medals at the World Indoor Athletics Championships, their

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biggest ever haul. But not everyone was happy. That's because

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representing the team were athletes who some people don't think really

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are British. Take, for example, the captain, Tiffany Porter, who was

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born and has spent most of her life living in the US. So what does it

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mean to be a British athlete? Winning a gold medal for your

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country at the Olympic Games is the biggest thing an athlete can

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achieve. And we're hoping for a lot of GB medals this summer. But what

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if the country the athletes are representing isn't actually where

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they're originally from, where they live or even train? Over the

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weekend, Yamile Aldama won gold for Britain in the triple jump at the

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World Indoor Athletics Championships. But she's originally

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from Cuba and has already competed for two countries - Cuba and Sudan.

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And she wasn't alone. In the GB squad, there were another three

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athletes who were born in America, one from Anguilla and another from

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Somalia. Even the team's captain, Tiffany Porter, has moved to the UK

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in the last two years. She represented the United States as a

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junior athlete, but since switched to Team GB because her mum is from

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London. It's because athletes can qualify to represent a country if

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they've lived there for a certain amount of time or have a parent

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born in that country. And it This weekend, Manu Tuilagi scored

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for England's rugby team against France in the Six Nnations - he was

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born in Samoa but moved to the UK when he was 13. And Kevin Pietersen

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- one of the best cricketers in the world - spent most of his life in

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South Africa, but with an English mum, is one of England's star

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batsmen. If they're good enough and they want to compete for Team GB,

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does it really matter where they're from?

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And it's a question that's got you guys talking over on the website.

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Solomon from West Yorkshire says just because they come from another

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country, doesn't mean they can't We're joined now by Diane Modahl,

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who competed at four Olympic Games for Great Britain in the 800 metres.

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She's also a former Commonwealth champion. Thank you for coming in

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to talk to us. Do you understand why people are upset about athletes

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coming into the Olympic team who don't seem to have much connection

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with the UK? I can't understand that argument at all. From my point

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of view, and the athletes and coaches I have been speaking to,

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they are telling me that providing an athlete has fulfilled the

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eligibility criteria, there is no reason why they shouldn't pull on a

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national fest and compete. Most people seem to be happy with Mo

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Farah competing, even though he was born in Somalia, because he's spent

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most of his life here, but Tiffany just has a British parent - should

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the qualifying rules be changed? don't think they do need to change.

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There is nothing plastic or fake about pulling on a national vest

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and competing for your country. From the athletes point of view,

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you work hard, you commit your career to being the best you can be

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and that is the most important thing. You have pulled on that

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first four times at the Olympic Games, you know what it means to

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have that national pride. Is that the most important thing, or are

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there other things? I think it is the most important thing. When you

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stand on the start line, you are there to represent your country and

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be the best that you can be. Of course, if you have won and you are

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on the lap of honour, that is the fun part. From the athletes' point

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of view, they will be focused on trying to get on that number one

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spot, standing on that rostrum. Thank you for coming in, 137 days

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to the Games, are you excited? Extremely excited! Can't wait!

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Speaking of gaming, that's one reason why a lot of kids are being

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told they're not playing outdoors enough anymore. But for many others,

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it's because their parents simply don't think it's safe for them

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outside. That's been a real problem in parts of Glasgow until recently.

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Now, volunteers and a charity called PEEK are giving kids in the

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East End the chance to reclaim their streets. I went along to get

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the lowdown. This is Barrow field in the East End of Glasgow, one of

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the most deprived areas in Scotland, their history of violence and high

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levels of crime. Two years ago, things were so bad, half of parents

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would not allow their kids outside to play unsupervised, and one in

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five would not let them out at all. Now that has changed. It is down to

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a project run by a charity called PEEK, who want kids to go back on

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the streets and reclaim them for play. The charity decided to use

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young adults in the area to act as play Rangers, to supervise play

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sessions, allowing youngsters to run around and enjoy themselves

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safely. These kids are not complaining. I like it when they

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are here, but not when they are not here because it is not safe to play

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outside. I like playing outside because it is healthy and I can

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play football and tennis. I feel safe when PEEK is here because they

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look after you. Michaela is a play Ranger who grew up in the area and

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understands how important it is that kids get to play outside.

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learn from ships and social skills, their health and fitness has

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increased. Their mental health and role being has increased. -- well-

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being. They are making friends and it is fun, which is important.

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charity provides three -- free play activities for over 300 children in

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one week. The sessions run in a different sides across Glasgow.

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These did say that since the play sessions started, they feel a lot

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more confident and are getting fitter. The local residents love it

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because they say it is nice to see kids back out on the streets. They

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are certainly enjoying themselves. Finally, to the pooch that's more

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Gaga than woof woof. Elizabeth the Lhasa Apso has won Best in Show at

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the one of the world's biggest dog shows, Crufts. The 7-year-old from

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Coventry beat 21,000 other dogs, but we reckon she's stolen Lady

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