OT: Gaming the Olympic System

[BumbleBeeDave]

Geez, if I'd known all I had to do was move to Dominica to get in the bike race . . . :rolleyes:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1972824-gary-angelica-di-silvestris-timeline-as-controversial-dominica-olympic-skiers?hpt=hp_t2

BBD

[tiretrax]

There was a competitor or two from the US Virgin Islands. I want to become their ski team!

[jmoore]

If they simply set the Olympic qualifying standards the same for every competitor, regardless of country, then all this BS would be moot.

Who cares if the [insert random country here] has never had anyone compete in the Winter Olympics.

[Louis]

I haven't read the article, but I would think that one reason to have a sliding scale is to try to promote some less popular sports in countries where they aren't already big. If you set the bar too high then you'll never get anyone from those types of places.

[pbarry]

Funny to read this BBD. Hope the wanna-be twosome enjoy their already tarnished almost-famous status. Who cares about people like this? They'll always be amongst us, gaming every system. Pretty sad to see this behavior after watching the background pieces about real athletes and their families who sacrificed so much for decades at a shot in a marginal sport.

No work=no medal..

[tiretrax]

I guess they couldn't get appointed as ambassadors:
http://news.yahoo.com/u-s--diplomats-to-obama--ambassador-nominees-should-really-know-something-about-their-destination-135030697.html

[CunegoFan]

This is funny but I am still not over laughing about ski crossers and snowboard crossers being required to wear baggy clothing to maintain the rebel traditions of the sport.

[William]

This is funny but I am still not over laughing about ski crossers and snowboard crossers being required to wear baggy clothing to maintain the rebel traditions of the sport.

You gotta conform to be rebel! ;)






William

[93legendti]

Jamaican Bobsled Team anyone?

It's the Olympics' show. Pros in Basketball, Baseball and Hockey, X Games events, Team Skating Competition, the couple referenced above...

It's entertainment.

[Ken Robb]

Geez, if I'd known all I had to do was move to Dominica to get in the bike race . . . :rolleyes:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1972824-gary-angelica-di-silvestris-timeline-as-controversial-dominica-olympic-skiers?hpt=hp_t2

BBD

You would also probably have to become a big philanthropist there to become a citizen/athlete. Maybe that's a fair deal.

[Bruce K]

I believe it was mentioned in the opening ceremonies that they were, in fact, big philanthropists there having donated huge sums of money for hospitals and schools.

In return for their work there, the country made them honorary citizens and I guess that was good enough for the Olympic Committee.

Personally, I put more support behind athletes like the Jamaican bobsled team and Eddie the Eagle than these folks for reasons others have stated. Desire, sacrifice, etc.

But there are others. What about the US kid who is married to a Russian snowboarder? He failed to make the US Squad so used his dual citizenship to compete for Russia. He ended up winning gold in the half-pipe and then dumped on the US selection committee saying the medal should have been the US's.

People compete for other countries beyond their native land for a bunch of reasons and some just because they can.

BK

[djg]

Geez, if I'd known all I had to do was move to Dominica to get in the bike race . . . :rolleyes:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1972824-gary-angelica-di-silvestris-timeline-as-controversial-dominica-olympic-skiers?hpt=hp_t2

BBD

Who says you actually have to move there?

Ireland had a snowboarder who was born and raised in San Diego -- he might have visited the old sod (Seeking Olympic Debutants), but he never ever lived there and his parents were not Irish nationals. Nobody pretended otherwise.

It's a weird business when it comes to the Olympics, but there's a lot of weird business done in the course of the Olympic movement. On the dual citizenship front, Dominica might just be an extreme -- or not-so-extreme -- test of the idea that sovereign nations get to decide when and how and to whom to award citizenship. Some places harbor tax cheats or terrorists, some just offer virtual sanctuary to second or third tier cross country ski racers who are getting a little long in the tooth.