[OFB Cafe] Nation-switchers trouble Olympic chiefs

[Derek Broughton]

On August 21, 2008 15:24:41 saki wrote:
> Hi,  y'all,
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/7574379.stm
>
> What do you Yanks think?

Well, I ain't one but...
>
> I have to confess that I find such behaviour inexplicable, if not
> reprehensible.
>
> "Because I'm not good enough for my own country's squad, I'll join
> another (antagonistic) country's team, because it's me, innit?"

I certainly don't see anything reprehensible in it.  And your nation is hardly 
without blame in the athlete poaching business.  I recall a particularly vile 
period when you were giving British citizenship (and fast-tracking it) to 
South Africans so that they could compete when their country was embargoed.  
She _isn't_ good enough for the US, but she _is_ good enough for the 
Olympics.  Why should she have to give up her dream to watch poorer athletes 
go to Beijing?

> The photograph is telling as well.

How so?  They chose a picture of her yelling about something.  I saw a flash 
of Kerrie Walsh (beach volleyball) that looked almost identical yesterday, 
and she was definitely just cheering on her partner.
>
> Perhaps, if she returns to the States she will be able to defend and
> explain her adopted country's recent actions.

Why should she have to?  For whatever reasons, Russia is not one of the four 
(?) countries the US makes it illegal to interact with.  That's unlikely to 
change.

> Does she still have an American passport?

Almost certainly not, but purely because she _must_ have a Russian passport to 
compete.

To me, the story of these games is Jamaica - after decades of supplying the 
best sprinters in the world (many of them to my country, Canada) they're 
finally standing up and saying that they're going to compete for Jamaica, 
even if they don't have the best facilities for training.  Canada, the US, 
and Britain are all going to see their chances for future sprint medals 
collapse!
-- 
derek