AMERSFOORT, The Netherlands, June 19. SUMMER Mortimer, one of the most famous Canadian Paralympians who won four medals for Canada at the London Paralympics, has switched her sports citizenship to The Netherlands according to The Hamilton Spectator.
Mortimer, who holds dual citizenship with Canada and The Netherlands, decided this year to move to The Netherlands and compete on the Dutch team.
“Absolutely we didn’t want her to leave,” Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi said about the move. “No doubt we wanted her to stay.”
Mortimer swims in the SM10 classification after shattering her feet in a trampolining accident. She had competed at the 2008 Canadian Olympic Trials, before becoming injured and moving on to a Paralympic role. In London, she broke a world record in the 50 free, and also won the 100 back. Additionally, she took silver in the 200 IM and bronze in the 100 free.
Mortimer could also pull in a lot more money should she replicate her same 2012 success in 2016 for The Netherlands. The Dutch team pays $30,000 Canadian for a gold medal, which would have equaled $60,000 total for the Canadian.
“There’s always that guilt,” Mortimer said about the move. “I was worried and upset for a while. I still deal with some conflicting emotions.”