Some of New Zealand's top sports stars are among the thousands who have missed out on the latest release of MIQ spots, and are now faced with the prospect of not being able to return home before Christmas.
Among those devastated to miss out is Tokyo bronze medallist Hayden Wilde, who said it was "gutting" to have no means of returning home in the near future.
"To race the best I could in Tokyo I couldn't pick up a second job so I had to head overseas to make money," Wilde said.
"I was literally living off my 2019 season... to leave New Zealand and potentially not be able to come home, it's a scary feeling."
He is not alone.
Reigning motocross world champion Courtney Duncan, golfer Ryan Fox and multisport athlete Braden Currie are also amongst the thousands missing out on spots in the revamped system.
Currie's wife Sally told 1News the pair had been discussing the possibility of moving abroad in order to keep his career alive, given there was such a low chance of Braden being able to return home.
Sally has been advocating for individual sportspeople in their MIQ plight. She's sent letters to Sports Minister Grant Robertson and Sport NZ but said she felt the latter was not advocating hard enough for change.
In a statement to 1News, Sport NZ boss Raelene Castle said they were constantly working with Robertson about trying to improve the situation.
For Wilde, he'll likely have to stay abroad until after next year's Commonwealth Games, totalling almost two years away from home as he continues to make a living out of the sport he loves.
SHARE ME