Five Dutch marathon skaters who want to participate in the Olympic Games with a passport from Kazakhstan have lost their Dutch nationality.

The five acquired Kazakh citizenship earlier this year and three of them last month ended first, second and third on the 5,000 meter distance. They all assumed they had double nationality. In fact, Dutch citizens who voluntarily acquire a different nationality lose their Dutch passport. Lacking a residence permit, the five now live in the Netherlands as illegal aliens. According to the aliens office, they can recover their Dutch nationality provided they surrender their Kazakh documents.

Photo: skating rink in Almaty, Kazakhstan (Flickr/djzab)