In 1984 my sister-in-law was in the Peace Corps in an African country which did not have a national record in the marathon. I thought about trying to have her make contact with whoever in the country was in charge of its Olympic program and see about the possibility I could get on its team in return for a donation to its Olympic program. At the time I was fast enough that I would not have embarrased myself in the race. However, I never followed through.
The Olympics are all about numbers and stats.
In Athens ...
Countries: 199
Officials: 3,000
Athletes: 10,500
Condoms, courtesy of Durex: 130,000
Tubes of lubricant: 30,000
Durex doesn't blush about its contribution.
"As the official supplier of condoms and lubricants, we hope the donation will help athletes improve their achievements between the sheets," says one Durex mouthpiece.
"There's a lot of sex going on," javelin thrower Breaux Greer told Men's Journal. "You get a lot of people who are in shape and, you know, testosterone's up and everybody's attracted to everybody."
Other fun nuggets, courtesy of Men's Journal, which conducted a survey of sorts: Swimmers do it longer; the French do it most often (but only with compatriots).
In Sydney, the Cubans ... well, they ran through their ration faster than any other nation.
"I don't know what they're doing with those things," said one official. "Maybe they're making water balloons. They're lovely, lovely people. They're very friendly."
Old Ultra Guy wrote:
I actually had this happen.
I was living on a small island, an independent country. I had been there two years. I was their marathon champ twice. They asked me to go to Montreal 1980.
I wrote to the State Department.
They wrote back, amazingly quickly, too.
They basically said: Fine, but you lose your US passport, and don't try coming back here.
So I did not make any changes, and did not represent that nation.
Lucky for you, since, upon arriving in Montreal, you would have discovered that you were four years too late.
This might be an unpopular take on this topic, but if people on here are in favour of this prospect just to get the Olympic experience, then why are so many people so hard on Benard Lagat for what he did in 2004. As I understand it, he did not disclose he received US citizenship (earlier than he expected) and give up his Kenyan passport solely because it gave him another shot at the Olympics and A LEGITIMATE CHANCE AT ANOTHER OLYMPIC MEDAL!!! If most of you would go just for the experience, then what would you do if you had a chance at a medal but were in his situation?
It wouldn't have been an issue if he had received his US citizenship after the Olympics, would it? (Never mind the whole "immigrant vs. real American B$) He didn't have his new US passport in his hand at the moment he needed to make a choice about whether to declare for the Olympics for Kenya, did he?
But forget about the specifics of his case for the moment. Just consider: if you had a shot at an Olympic medal, but were in a situation where you would lose the opportunity to compete, what would you do?
Mr. Obvious wrote:
I seem to remember you couldn't enter a developmental athlete in the decathlon. Not sure what other events were included (and I could be remembering the whole thing wrong).
Decathlon and throws (events which having an extra person, at least one obviously unqualified, would have a major impact on the time to run the event).
Another attempt:
http://www.liberiansoccer.com/Athlete%20Accuses%20Track%20&%20Field%20Officials.htmThis is why U want 2 go >> wrote:
The Olympics are all about numbers and stats.
In Athens ...
Countries: 199
Officials: 3,000
Athletes: 10,500
Condoms, courtesy of Durex: 130,000
Tubes of lubricant: 30,000
Durex doesn't blush about its contribution.
"As the official supplier of condoms and lubricants, we hope the donation will help athletes improve their achievements between the sheets," says one Durex mouthpiece.
"There's a lot of sex going on," javelin thrower Breaux Greer told Men's Journal. "You get a lot of people who are in shape and, you know, testosterone's up and everybody's attracted to everybody."
Other fun nuggets, courtesy of Men's Journal, which conducted a survey of sorts: Swimmers do it longer; the French do it most often (but only with compatriots).
In Sydney, the Cubans ... well, they ran through their ration faster than any other nation.
"I don't know what they're doing with those things," said one official. "Maybe they're making water balloons. They're lovely, lovely people. They're very friendly."
That is exactly why I would want to go.
fredddddddddddd wrote:
A 2.14.59 marathon would get you on the Irish team for the Olympics I think. As long as you have some connection they'd let you run (eg. Cragg)
Ireland uses the grandparent rule- at least one grandparent has to have been born in Ireland or if you qualify for through great-grandparents your parent has to be an Irish citizen at the time of your birth. Cragg, for instance, qualifies in both these ways. Maternal grandfather born in Ireland. Maternal grandmother born in SA to Irish parents and his mother was an Irish citizen at the time of his birth.
Its actually pretty strict these days
Depends what they were sending him to Montreal for!
BTW, OUG - whoever you spoke to at the State Department screwed you out of a chance to go to the Olympics, you wouldn't have had to give up your US citizenship to get citizenship of another country (unless the laws of that country insisted on it, and that decision wouldn't be under the authority of the State Department), you don't even have to give up your foreign citizenship if you take US citizenship.
Yes but it would not change the level of representation.
Unless this happened
If I remember correctly, some high school girl from Washington ran in the Olympics for a really small country because of a small family connnection. A woman from South Dakota played for the German women's basketball team in Beijing.
I made a mistake, she actually played for Russia. She had no family connections, but was playing for a pro team there. Becky Hammon is her name.
You do remember correctly. She ran the 800 for a country which she had never visited.
It doesn't have to be a foreign country. You can run for Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands, they all have Olympic teams. Gary Fanelli, from Pennsylvania, ran the 1984 Marathon for American Samoa.
Also, there are a lot of Americans who have competed on foreign teams. Off the top of my head:
Felix Sanchez - Dominican Republic
Bayano Kamani - Panama
Andrew Howe - Italy
Gabriele Anderson - Switzerland
Sandra Myers - Spain
I went to college with a weight event guy who just barely missed making the U.S. Olympic team and then discovered he had some distant family connection to Puerto Rico, and he ended up representing that island at the Olympics. I know a female middle distance runner who ended up running for the Cayman Islands in pretty much the same manner.
I'm Italian-American and couldn't make the Italian or American Olympic teams but I don't know...maybe San Marino would want me?
GREAT series of articles on this from espn a few years ago
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=olympianpart13
That is the last installment from Katherine Bertine, a cyclist. Go back to the beginning to see how it started. ESPN put her up to trying to make some US teams in obscure sports (parts 1-4 basically). After that, she goes off the ESPN assignment and goes back to her normal sport and explores ways to make the Olympics. I followed that series all the way through. Worth the read in so many ways.
I made a mistake. In part 8, she reveals that ESPN had actually suggested that she try to find another country to get to the olympics.
Teamates of mine have run for Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. Both were eliminated in their first round heats, but both said it was the greatest experience of their lives. So yes.
i can't believe you guys would consider running for another country. even if i had a way to represent another country, i could never wave the flag of another country.
color me a dumb patriot or what you will i would never do it.
You should reconsider. I think you missed this post.
The Olympics are all about numbers and stats.
In Athens ...
Countries: 199
Officials: 3,000
Athletes: 10,500
Condoms, courtesy of Durex: 130,000
Tubes of lubricant: 30,000
Durex doesn't blush about its contribution.
"As the official supplier of condoms and lubricants, we hope the donation will help athletes improve their achievements between the sheets," says one Durex mouthpiece.
"There's a lot of sex going on," javelin thrower Breaux Greer told Men's Journal. "You get a lot of people who are in shape and, you know, testosterone's up and everybody's attracted to everybody."
I'd want to run the marathon or maybe the 1500, where I'd only be last by a bit. But the 5000 would be really embarrassing and I don't think I'd want to get lapped in front of the world. Although now that I think of it I'd probably run fast enough to get lapped just as they were finishing!