Making the Olympic Team

[VTKilarney]

A good article here:
https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/meet-olympic-athletes-probably-dont-belong/

"In Pyeongchang, 178 athletes are nation-jumpers, which constitutes around six percent of the athletes competing for nations in which they weren't born."

 

[Hawkshot99]

I have no problem with a shitty athlete in the Olympics as long as they are representing their true country. I am not in support of going and representing a country other than your real country, even if you are a hood athlete.

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[cdskier]

They really need to tighten up the rules a bit on what country you can compete for. If you were born in a country, I don't have a problem with you competing for them even if you no longer live there. If you live in a country and are a citizen but weren't born there, I also have no problems with you competing for that country. If you have dual citizenship I have no problem with you competing for your choice of those two countries. However if you weren't born in a country and don't live there, you have no business competing for that country. It really shouldn't matter that your parents or grand-parents or great-grand-parents or aunt or uncle or whoever else were born there. Sure that country may be part of your heritage, but it is not "your" country.

 

[rocks860]

YOU try curling! I've done it a few times, and it's about 20x harder than bowling. It's difficult to even stop a rock anywhere in the bullseye let alone the dead center and/or pulling off all the trick combos they do. I think it's a great game.

Then they should probably have bocce in the summer olympics right? Maybe cornhole? It can be a great game, doesn’t mean it should be in the olympics


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[ShadyGrove]

Yeah - let's leave the stunt ditch ridin' to the folks on the lunch trays.

 

[Jcb890]

They really need to tighten up the rules a bit on what country you can compete for. If you were born in a country, I don't have a problem with you competing for them even if you no longer live there. If you live in a country and are a citizen but weren't born there, I also have no problems with you competing for that country. If you have dual citizenship I have no problem with you competing for your choice of those two countries. However if you weren't born in a country and don't live there, you have no business competing for that country. It really shouldn't matter that your parents or grand-parents or great-grand-parents or aunt or uncle or whoever else were born there. Sure that country may be part of your heritage, but it is not "your" country.

^ This. It shouldn't matter where your grand-parents are from.

 

[BenedictGomez]

if you weren't born in a country and don't live there, you have no business competing for that country.

There was a Vail, Colorado native racing for Canada last night in Skier Cross. His dad is a Canadian citizen.

Then they should probably have bocce in the summer olympics right? Maybe cornhole? It can be a great game, doesn’t mean it should be in the olympics

So your logic is what, because you dont sweat it shouldnt be in the Olympics? Actually, I bet the sweepers sweat quite a bit. Anyway, by that logic lots of Summer Games would need to be tossed (archery, equestrian, golf, shooting, etc...)

 

[ThinkSnow]

Olympic golf. Talk about a snooze-fest.

 

[VTKilarney]

If you were born in a country, I don't have a problem with you competing for them even if you no longer live there.

Some countries have rules that allow citizenship even if you weren't born there. For example, many confer citizenship if your parents are citizens. Under your proposal, lots and lots of military kids would never have a chance to compete for the United States.

I believe that there should be some tightening of the screws, but this isn't the solution.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I assume that the Israeli figure skaters with Russian names are not born in or from Israel, but are jews who have a right to citizenship

 

[cdskier]

Some countries have rules that allow citizenship even if you weren't born there. For example, many confer citizenship if your parents are citizens. Under your proposal, lots and lots of military kids would never have a chance to compete for the United States.

I believe that there should be some tightening of the screws, but this isn't the solution.

I didn't say being born in a country was the ONLY acceptable criteria. I listed several perfectly acceptable criteria (not necessarily exhaustive of all valid possibilities). And then I listed the major one that is not acceptable (to me as it is my opinion). That being someone that has no direct ties to a country competing for that country. I also don't really see what I said that would exclude military kids. Aren't they citizens of the US even if they were born overseas on a military base?

 

[Domeskier]

I think segregating people by country of origin/citizenship/residence is a terrible, backwards and counter-productive practice and all countries should be forced to integrate their sports groups like the South Korean women's hockey team.

 

[x10003q]

Meh - why should this bother anybody? If the country she reps says ok - and she some how qualifies - good for her.

This has been going on for years in the alpine events, especially the GS.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

so you're opposed to the very concept of the Olympics? I agree that its a fine line between healthy patriotism and unhealthy nationalism, and the Olympics is not a perfect institution by any stretch, and the games are expensive, the selection and construction processes subject to corruption, and in many/most locations the venues tend to decay after the games. BUT, the Olympics also represent the highest ideals of athleticism, devotion to hard work and training, sportsmanship, and international goodwill. they also provide a mainstream platform for snow sports, which is otherwise totally lacking. its good for skiing and snowboarding. the Olympics make kids want to ride on snow.

 

[Domeskier]

so you're opposed to the very concept of the Olympics? I agree that its a fine line between healthy patriotism and unhealthy nationalism, and the Olympics is not a perfect institution by any stretch, and the games are expensive, the selection and construction processes subject to corruption, and in many/most locations the venues tend to decay after the games. BUT, the Olympics also represent the highest ideals of athleticism, devotion to hard work and training, sportsmanship, and international goodwill. they also provide a mainstream platform for snow sports, which is otherwise totally lacking. its good for skiing and snowboarding. the Olympics make kids want to ride on snow.

No, I just think every country should be forced to have North Koreans on their teams.

 

[cdskier]

Meh - why should this bother anybody? If the country she reps says ok - and she some how qualifies - good for her.

This has been going on for years in the alpine events, especially the GS.

Why bother having countries at all then if we're just going to allow people to compete for whichever one they want as long as that country says ok? Allowing this to continue simply weakens the meaning of "country" in the Olympics.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

I love this thread... Has everything...

 

[Hawkshot99]

Some countries have rules that allow citizenship even if you weren't born there. For example, many confer citizenship if your parents are citizens. Under your proposal, lots and lots of military kids would never have a chance to compete for the United States.

I believe that there should be some tightening of the screws, but this isn't the solution.

A baby born on a us military base is a us citizen.

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[VTKilarney]

A baby born on a us military base is a us citizen.

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I know that. This is why I was saying that the “born in country” standard was flawed.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Speaking of phony country hoppers, this "Canadian" raised in Vail, Colorado is lucky to be alive.

Got a little too sendy.