If you couldn't make the olympic team in the U.S. but you could in another country, would you switch citizenship?

Oh- and no I wasn't country shopping. Lived this side of the pond for nearly 5 yrs before getting the tap on the shoulder and grandmother was from said country.

Basically like Felix Sanchez. I would also jump on the opportunity.

There was a female American cyclist that was featured on ESPN.com a few years back about that had a multi-part article on her journey to qualifying for the Olympics. She got the green light from St. Kitts and Nevis and started to cycle for them despite having no ties to the country before hand.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=olympianpart10

sportfan wrote:

I'd be happy to get a passport to any western hemisphere country and many in the east.

I'm 49 and obviously I'd be embarrassed to actually run in the Olympics but say if I was 25 and a 13:40 5000 guy (is that a B standard? I dont know?)

13:27.00

I think I'd have to have some kind of tie to the country in question as opposed to "country shopping."

A buddy of mine got to run in the World Championships this summer because he represented his birth country. He's been in the States since he was pretty young and loves it here, but he's got plenty of family back in his birth country and feels strong emotional ties there as well. I felt like his situation is a beautiful thing- high level racing opportunities aside, he gets to embrace America and remember his origins.

For me, on the other hand, my family has been in America since the potato famine. I don't really have any ties to other countries and would feel weird about representing some other nation in international competition, as cool as getting to run in the Olympics would be.

On the other hand, if I had moved to another country for whatever reason,(job, wife, just 'cuz)lived there for a while, and could see myself being a long-term resident of that country, I would feel good about representing them internationally if they would have me.

I wouldn't knock anyone who did country shop to go to the Olympics, though. I can totally see the appeal, it's just not for me without some extenuating circumstances.

Here's a followup question:

If you could represent any other country EXCEPT your home country, what would it be (this assumes the country in question would absolutely, 100% name you to their team)? I'm thinking either Ireland or New Zealand. I go with Ireland because while my family's emigration from there happened well over 100 years ago, it's still the country from where my family originated and that would be cool. My second choice is New Zealand because 1) the running tradition they have there 2) a dear Kiwi friend of mine once told me I'd make a good Kiwi myself and 3) their uniforms are BOSS.

Yes it is the Olympic games. I would do almost anything to get in except for cheat because it just wouldn't feel the same that way. If I had the standard to go to the Olympics and all I had to do was put on another countries singlet I would do it and there is no way I would ever pass up an opportunity to go the the Olympics after I had worked so hard to get to that level.

Many people who have familial ties, even very vague ones, to other countries have competed for them without giving up U.S. citizenship.

Old Ultra Guy wrote:

In late 1979, I had been in a Caribbean country for two years. I had won their marathon twice in a row. They asked if I would represent them in Moscow 1980. I contact the State Department and told them the situation. I got a letter that in essence said, "if you get a passport from that country, don't try returning to the US." I did not do it.

I call BS on this. Or you should have found lawyer. Several US citizens competed in Moscow for other countries

Blowing.Rock Master wrote:

Would you say that if you were Canadian? How about Australian? Kenyan?

I'm 14 seconds away from having the Olympic A standard (and the possibility for dual citizenship, if I wanted to pursue it), and I still say a strong no. There's too much relinquished trying to pursue it. It's more prideful to put on a Team USA singlet.

Sailor Bob wrote:

Old Ultra Guy wrote:

In late 1979, I had been in a Caribbean country for two years. I had won their marathon twice in a row. They asked if I would represent them in Moscow 1980. I contact the State Department and told them the situation. I got a letter that in essence said, "if you get a passport from that country, don't try returning to the US." I did not do it.

I call BS on this. Or you should have found lawyer. Several US citizens competed in Moscow for other countries

As did a few western Europeans caught up in the boycott BS. The US allows multiple citizenships. I might guess you were offered a spot on the Cuban team ;). At the end of the day, all the BS politics that led to the 1980 and 84 boycotts only screwed the athletes in the end. One only has a certain time in one's life to be in his/her prime and ready to compete at that level. Imagine you are all ready to go and for whatever stupida$$ political reason your country pulls out. Yes, many athletes from western countries got robbed of an opportunity in 1980 as did many from the old Soviet Bloc countries in 1984 and that's just a shame. Any chance you could have competed and just not told Uncle Sam? Politics sucks as do politicians and I can't stand either.

I did a poor job of making my point, which is this:

Unless you're a naturalized American like Lagat or De Reuck, then you're an American by accident of your birth. You didn't make a conscious decision to become an American, you just lucked out (I'm speaking hypothetically, I don't know if you're naturalized or not).

You could just as easily have been born somewhere else, in which case you'd be running for their national team. Had you been born in a foreign country do you think you would feel less pride running for them, then you do when you run for the US? If not, then why does it matter what country you run for as long as you get to run?

Please don't take this as criticism, I'm just trying to understand why someone would allow something, as trivial and uncontrollable as the location of their birth, to keep them from realizing a lifelong dream.

Heck yeah...

Who cares about some line in the sand?

It's no BS that I wrote about above.

I can't find the letter from the State Department, after 32 years, but it happened.

It wasn't Cuba. It was a part of the British Commonwealth. One of the nations in the Windward Islands.

I couldn't afford a lawyer.

Also, I was told I would have to pay my own way. It was a very poor nation.

I'm a dual-citizen in a country with no 1500m runners. Unfortunately I'm too far off the B standard to make it, as I think I'd have to run 3:37.9.

is the promise ring dead? wrote:

Simple question, would you switch countries in order to compete in the olympics knowing that you would be on that country's olympic team?

I believe this would only work if you have the "A" standard for whatever event you're in and dual citizenship with the U.S. and another country.

Blowing.Rock Master wrote:

Please don't take this as criticism, I'm just trying to understand why someone would allow something, as trivial and uncontrollable as the location of their birth, to keep them from realizing a lifelong dream.

I see it like a soldier fighting a war. You put patriotism above yourself.

wild coincidence!!! I'm only 14 seconds off the A standard also.

in the 400

the ties that bind (me here) wrote:[/b

Here's a followup question:

If you could represent any other country EXCEPT your home country, what would it be (this assumes the country in question would absolutely, 100% name you to their team)? I'm thinking either Ireland or New Zealand. I go with Ireland because while my family's emigration from there happened well over 100 years ago, it's still the country from where my family originated and that would be cool. My second choice is New Zealand because 1) the running tradition they have there 2) a dear Kiwi friend of mine once told me I'd make a good Kiwi myself and 3) their uniforms are BOSS.

I'd probably pick the same ones as you but add Germany and for the same reasons. But I'd go anywhere.

sportfan wrote:

wild coincidence!!! I'm only 14 seconds off the A standard also.

in the 400

Marathon.

jaguar1 wrote:

Blowing.Rock Master wrote:

Please don't take this as criticism, I'm just trying to understand why someone would allow something, as trivial and uncontrollable as the location of their birth, to keep them from realizing a lifelong dream.

I see it like a soldier fighting a war. You put patriotism above yourself.

What if it has to do with your job?

If I were going to switch citizenship, it would have to be for reasons much more important to me than running in the Olympics.