Winter Olympics

Interesting article
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BEIJING (AP) — U.S.-born athletes have taken center stage at the Winter Olympics in Beijing — for the host country, that is, generating scrutiny of nationality-switching.

Eileen Gu, the prodigious — and, depending on who you ask, prodigal — freestyle skier who chose to compete for her mother’s native China over her native U.S., has drawn critical coverage that has at times veered into plain racism and misogyny.

But the likes of Gu and Jieruimi Shimisi — the Team China hockey goaltender (with no known Chinese heritage) formerly known as Jeremy Smith — are not the first to don the colors of a country where they were not born. Mutable nationality has a long history at the Olympics and, more generally, in the field of sports.


In an increasingly globalized society, is it any wonder that identity and nationality are fluid? Sports, after all, can be a great unifier of national identity — but also an expansive instrument for welcoming or attaining belonging.

Here’s a look at the nuts and bolts of competing for “another” country:

DO YOU HAVE TO BE A CITIZEN TO COMPETE FOR A COUNTRY?

Under the current Olympic Charter, yes. National Olympic Committees are responsible for entering competitors, and those competitors must be “a national” of that NOC’s country.

DOESN’T THAT MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE BORN IN A COUNTRY TO COMPETE FOR IT?

Birthright citizenship isn’t a universal concept. The U.S. is one of the most prominent practitioners of jus soli, conferring citizenship on anyone born on U.S. soil.

— Many countries use jus sanguinis — blood ties — in their citizenship criteria. If you are born in France, say, but your parents aren’t French, you can’t attain citizenship until your teenage years.

— Naturalization is another path to citizenship. Two common ways of attaining naturalization are jus domicilii (fulfilling residency requirements) and jus matrimonii (marriage to a citizen). Tim Koleto, a U.S.-born ice dancer representing Japan, is married to his Japanese skating partner, for instance.

—If you’re wealthy enough, you can also buy citizenship or at least a visa with a fast track to citizenship in some cases. Countries sometimes actively recruit, too — like China with its hockey team, though the details of that are a mystery.


With each country having dramatically different citizenship requirements — some as loose as having a single grandparent born on its soil — it would not be out of the question for a would-be competitor to have five passports.

SO WHAT IS THE CALCULUS BEHIND CHOOSING YOUR COUNTRY?

It’s a matter of opportunity and philosophy. If you’re a star player in a team sport, you would likely opt for the country that has the best chance of winning. But if your main goal is to just make it to the Olympics, you might find a clearer path through a country that’s not a powerhouse………

https://apnews.com/article/8014b15811a980f6ab6809e1fa1ed100