My official list of rules for what country an Olympic athlete can represent (add your own!)

Les wrote:

Have you considered that countries to which athletes have legally emigrated want them because their own native-born athletes aren't as good?

Of course. Its why we need a set of rules to stop the abuse.

Sorry for my awful grammar

You even see cases of african federations contacting sportspeople of eligible by descent to represent them

heavy roller wrote:

OlympicMedalChaser wrote:

See rule 7.

How does rule 7 allow someone to compete for the US? And why does it matter where someone lives when they are under 5? They can't even remember most of it. If you have a rule you need a rationale for the rule.

They can join the us army rangers then to gain eligibility to compete for the usa. Otherwise they can serve unaffiliated if they are top 10 ranked. Easy solution.

Are you really chasing and olympic medal or is just a username I am just curious. Also I know that you are proud of your country which is good

honestly in many ways i agree with the sentiment but how many of you would turn down the chance to go to "the big dance" if you were, say, a 13:30 guy with an irish parent? i'll bet your hard and fast rules would suddenly contain a lot more wiggle room.

MplsRunnerDude wrote:

honestly in many ways i agree with the sentiment but how many of you would turn down the chance to go to "the big dance" if you were, say, a 13:30 guy with an irish parent? i'll bet your hard and fast rules would suddenly contain a lot more wiggle room.

then you should give up your US citizenship for doing such a move

deltasurvivor wrote:

MplsRunnerDude wrote:

honestly in many ways i agree with the sentiment but how many of you would turn down the chance to go to "the big dance" if you were, say, a 13:30 guy with an irish parent? i'll bet your hard and fast rules would suddenly contain a lot more wiggle room.

then you should give up your US citizenship for doing such a move

But why you can have more than one citizenship if you want and you can choose whichever to represent you don't need to renounce another citizenship. Mondo chose sweden but he is still american him representing sweden does not make him no longer american. It just means he is representing sweden not american. Athletes are ordinary people to if your country allows dual citizenship you have a right to be able to have dual citizenship this right does not suddenly go away when you become an athlete. Both ireland and america alow dual citenzenship so he has the right to claim both whether he is an athlete or not

OlympicMedalChaser wrote:

Samuel Mahele Akili wrote:

This post is garbage you are either a troll or really stupid or you a teen who knows nothing about anything

No I am someone that gets triggered seeing a Swiss skiers competing for Trinidad in the winter Olympics or people that have never lived in Jamaica competing for their distance team and still enjoying us citizenship. Ireland athletes are a joke too(has way too many people hopping over there claiming Irish citizenship to have an easier shot at making a team). Too many ridiculous examples to list out over the past decade.

Why triggered? What's it to you? You're full of crap if you say you wouldn't do the same thing if you had the same opportunity as Alexi Pappas.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

OlympicMedalChaser wrote:

No I am someone that gets triggered seeing a Swiss skiers competing for Trinidad in the winter Olympics or people that have never lived in Jamaica competing for their distance team and still enjoying us citizenship. Ireland athletes are a joke too(has way too many people hopping over there claiming Irish citizenship to have an easier shot at making a team). Too many ridiculous examples to list out over the past decade.

Why triggered? What's it to you? You're full of crap if you say you wouldn't do the same thing if you had the same opportunity as Alexi Pappas.

Well they should make the rules explicit to stop what she did (so you don't have the opportunity to do that)

deltasurvivor wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Why triggered? What's it to you? You're full of crap if you say you wouldn't do the same thing if you had the same opportunity as Alexi Pappas.

Well they should make the rules explicit to stop what she did (so you don't have the opportunity to do that)

They can't and will not do it pappas is eligible for greek citizenship by her father thereforeshe can represent greece it is that simple. They will never change the rules because she has every right to represent greece because she is greek. mondo is swedish so he can represent sweden. I am sorry there is nothing you can do to stop greek people from representing greece ad swedes representing sweden

deltasurvivor wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Why triggered? What's it to you? You're full of crap if you say you wouldn't do the same thing if you had the same opportunity as Alexi Pappas.

Well they should make the rules explicit to stop what she did (so you don't have the opportunity to do that)

Her opportunity is not at anyone else's expense. Why do you care?

SDSU Aztec wrote:

deltasurvivor wrote:

Well they should make the rules explicit to stop what she did (so you don't have the opportunity to do that)

Her opportunity is not at anyone else's expense. Why do you care?

it absolutely is. an athlete that was raised in greece (let alone has EVER lived in greece unlike alexi), has their spot taken from an american that could not qualify for her own country so needs to suddenly claim greek citizenship in an olympic year

It can kind of seem like a "cop out" when an athlete uses eligibility with another country to gain acceptance into the Olympics but on the plus side it allows more highly competitive athletes to get to compete at the Games.

For instance, Pappas, Praught Leer, etc in their primes would probably not have made the US team but they made their "second" countries' teams because they are/ were superior athletes to "home grown" athletes in those countries, therefore improving the competition at the Olympics.

On the downside, however, it strips local, home grown athletes from having a realistic chance of representing their only nation of citizenship if foreign born/ trained/ raised athletes can swoop in and take their spots. It also hinders the development of youth and pro athletic training programs/ structures in those countries as well because without if getting on the team requires training in the US for your whole life, resources for athletic development in those other countries will be harder to come by.

The point you don't understand Pappas is just as greek ast someone born and raced in greek. she is a greek citizens which means she can represent greece. It's quite simple

deltasurvivor wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Her opportunity is not at anyone else's expense. Why do you care?

it absolutely is. an athlete that was raised in greece (let alone has EVER lived in greece unlike alexi), has their spot taken from an american that could not qualify for her own country so needs to suddenly claim greek citizenship in an olympic year

And anyway this only applies if over 3 greek people have the olympic standard and this will not happen she is not taking any spot from anyone she has a greek dad meaning she is greek her surname is actually greek which makes you look silly and since she is greek she represents greece deal with it

Samuel Mahele Akili wrote:

The point you don't understand Pappas is just as greek ast someone born and raced in greek. she is a greek citizens which means she can represent greece. It's quite simple

Are you trolling?

I'm VERY british from an ethnic perspective but my ancestors came to the usa 200 years ago.

Am I just as British as someone born and raised in London? Why can't I compete for uk in Olympics if large majority of my bloodline is british?

Samuel Mahele Akili wrote:

deltasurvivor wrote:

it absolutely is. an athlete that was raised in greece (let alone has EVER lived in greece unlike alexi), has their spot taken from an american that could not qualify for her own country so needs to suddenly claim greek citizenship in an olympic year

And anyway this only applies if over 3 greek people have the olympic standard and this will not happen she is not taking any spot from anyone she has a greek dad meaning she is greek her surname is actually greek which makes you look silly and since she is greek she represents greece deal with it

My surname is British, does that qualify me to hop over to their team?

What a ridiculous argument for her being greek(her surname)

deltasurvivor wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Her opportunity is not at anyone else's expense. Why do you care?

it absolutely is. an athlete that was raised in greece (let alone has EVER lived in greece unlike alexi), has their spot taken from an american that could not qualify for her own country so needs to suddenly claim greek citizenship in an olympic year

Can you even name this Greek marathoner you're so concerned about?

American citizens are allowed to compete in the Olympics and so are Greek citizens. The OP's suggestions would involve taking rights away from citizens and here in the U.S it would take an amendment to the constitution to implement them. In other words, a citizen is a citizen.