Would you run for a foreign country in the Olympics if you had the B standard?

id do it, thats an opportunity of a lifetime. hopefully you would be a tad bit competitive though and at least represent your country well. what country do you have dual citizenship in?

I've always said that I would. If not Olympics, even like the Commonwealth Games or Pan-Americans or something. And ever since I watched Running to the Limits it's been an outside goal of mine to make a serious attempt at 2:18 one day.

And yet, everyone I know who has run 2:18 or close, even ones with dreams of doing whatever it takes to get to the Olymics, doesn't actually do it. I don't know if there's just a loss of pride and too many other opportunities once you're actually at that level, or maybe they realize getting citizenship or allegiance or whatever takes too much work, but it never happens.

One story I know of was that Japanese comedian who started running, got really good at the marathon, and moved to Cambodia and ran the Olympics for them. He actually didn't even have the B-standard (his PR was 2:28 or something) but was sent as the one allowed non-qualifying athlete since Cambodia had no B qualifiers in any event.

i'd do it ever since reading about what goes on in the olympic village

xenonscreams  wrote:

Israel

I wasn't the one who posted that, and this is supposed to password-protected.

crazy raisin wrote:

One story I know of was that Japanese comedian who started running, got really good at the marathon, and moved to Cambodia and ran the Olympics for them. He actually didn't even have the B-standard (his PR was 2:28 or something) but was sent as the one allowed non-qualifying athlete since Cambodia had no B qualifiers in any event.

He did not run the Olympics. An actual Cambodian set a NR much faster than the comedian's best and it became too hard to hide the fact that money was exchanging hands. Cambodia sent a middle-distance runner instead.

troof be told wrote:

He did not run the Olympics. An actual Cambodian set a NR much faster than the comedian's best and it became too hard to hide the fact that money was exchanging hands. Cambodia sent a middle-distance runner instead.

I think this was 2008 not 2012, but looking back at the results it looks like they did send the native Cambodian.

I would like to hear from any actual B-qualifiers as to why they don't do it though? Maybe in most events by the time you actually get the B-qualifier you are close enough to the top that you'd rather make a run for it at the US Olympic Trials, but I mean what about for the ~2:16 marathoners?

Well for starters it pretty much eliminates the possibility of a government job or anything that requires a security clearance for the US. In general it's very frowned upon to use citizenship for another country in the US even if it's from a country that gives it out like candy, like Israel if you're Jewish or have family from there.

I can imagine that the US would think even less of someone accepting citizenship from another country they have no ties to just to represent them in the Olympics, but it's not illegal or anything, the US just wouldn't recognize it and would probably have you flagged as somebody who is not loyal to the US.

If I run a 2:43 it is going to be a serious question because getting down toward the times I would need to qualify for the US would be still a long stretch from there, but I honestly believe that getting down toward 2:43 is a possibility for me. Many years from now, though. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'm way overly ambitious about my goals anyways. Everyone already thinks I'm nuts.

FWIW apparently anyone can post as anyone if they insert some spaces after their username. Good job LetsRun. Whoever you are who felt like posting as me, even though you got it right and I probably know you, I don't like you. (unless you're someone like Chris and you're just trolling in which case man f*ck you but you're still cool)

I don't think I would do it. I wouldn't hold it against anyone who did though.

Nope. I am an American. The only flag I'd want to represent on the world stage is the Stars and stripes. It would mean nothing to me to run for another country...also it would mean that I wasn't good enough to make it for the U.S. squad so I had to go another route.

I don't understand the mentality. Way to crap on the U.S. BTW

I'd absolutely do it provided it was a country I wouldn't mind actually living in.

I wouldn't just up and run for Moldova or some place like that seeing as how I have zero interest in ever setting foot in that country.

Oh, and I agree about the being competitive part. If I could make, say, the 10k team but would get lapped 2-3 times or something then I wouldn't want to do that.

crazy raisin wrote:

I would like to hear from any actual B-qualifiers as to why they don't do it though? Maybe in most events by the time you actually get the B-qualifier you are close enough to the top that you'd rather make a run for it at the US Olympic Trials, but I mean what about for the ~2:16 marathoners?

I'm really confused about why you think you can just up and change nationalities?

It doesn't work like that. For most countries it is a very difficult, tedious, expensive, and time-consuming process.

Not to mention that you may have to renounce American citizenship to do so, meaning that every time you want to come to the US you have to get an ETSA (if it's a Western/ally country; and no way in hell you'd get citizenship there anyway) or an actual visa (for any other country) which is expensive, very limited in what you can and can't do in the US and time-consuming to get.

The world does not operate like the states of America. You can't just up and move countries like you can states and just get a new driver's license and claim residence. Sovereign nations don't work that way.

xenonscreams wrote:

I can imagine that the US would think even less of someone accepting citizenship from another country they have no ties to just to represent them in the Olympics, but it's not illegal or anything, the US just wouldn't recognize it and would probably have you flagged as somebody who is not loyal to the US.

Is that really something the US would care enough about? I knew someone who got a New Zealand passport only because the line at the airport was shorter and his mom was born there.

Here's a story of a girl who might be doing this soon:

I used my Israeli passport to visit family in Israel for similar reasons growing up. When you're under 18 they don't care. When you're over 18, it's something they really don't like you doing, and if you use a foreign passport as an adult they will probably never give you a clearance if you care about that. I don't know what else they use that info for but they no longer view you as trustful and loyal to the US. I always thought that was weird because my Israeli passport didn't mean anything to me except a shortcut at the airport but when I applied for a government job I was pretty much told I would have to renounce my Israeli citizenship.

I ended up accepting a job with Amazon before I finished the clearance process anyways, so I just didn't bother. I've been kind of debating what the right thing to do is, but if it's a ticket to possibly run in the Olympics one day despite only running a 2:43 I honestly might hold on to it. The US is still the only country I feel loyal to though, so I'm not sure what kind of person that makes me.

allegiance up for grabs wrote:

I'm really confused about why you think you can just up and change nationalities?

It doesn't work like that. For most countries it is a very difficult, tedious, expensive, and time-consuming process.

Of course I know that. I don't get your point though. So what if it's hard to get citizenship in "most countries?" You don't need citizenship in "most countries," you just need it in one.

Actually I do know a route I could go that would guarantee me citizenship to another country within a couple years, be legitimate (as in it wouldn't be just for running and certainly wouldn't appear that way), and not have to give up US citizenship.

It wouldn't be inconvenient in terms of travel either, but it would cost several thousand bucks...

I would do it. I do not understand where the concept that you represent your nation at the olympics comes from.

You don't represent your nation in most cases. They don't pay your bills, fund your training, etc.

You are just an athlete who happens to be from there.

BTW I looked up Israel's only female competitor in track in 2012. Fairly similar situation to you...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jillian_Schwartz

I think if a country grants you a passport than you have every right (and their blessing) to represent them in the Olympics... I can see why people who dislike the country refuse to represent them, but you aren't obligated to turn down the opportunity.

Oh and their 400 runner's situation is almost exactly the same as yours: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Sanford_(athlete)