Are the Olympics keeping up with the globalization of sports?
By David on Aug 13, 2008 in Featured, World
‘One World. One Dream.’ … the motto of the Beijing Olympics. Yet the focus so often is on nations competing against nations. And more than ever, athletes are jumping from country to country to compete in the Olympics … and the boundaries of nationalism are becoming blurred.
Is it time to eliminate the focus on ‘country’ and just let the Olympics be a gathering of the best athletes in the world?
Would it be fun to let Rafael Nadal (Spain) and Roger Federer (Switzerland) compete as a doubles team in Olympic tennis? Why not?
Major international tennis and golf tournaments (Wimbledon, U.S. Masters Golf Tournament, etc.) are wide open to the world’s best athletes, and thrive without emphasizing national origin. The best come and compete … very simple.
Would it ruin the Olympics if American Kobe Bryant played on the Japanese basketball team, or American Jeremy Wariner ran track for Germany? Or if David Beckham played for the U.S. soccer team?
With each country making its own rules for determining who is eligible, the Olympic organizers admit the system has problems.
Tanith Belbin, of the Canadian-American ice dancing team of Belbin & Agosto, had to become an American citizen a few days prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics, so the duo could compete under the banner of one country only. What would be more in the Olympic spirit than two athletes from different countries competing together as a team and splitting their medal between Canada and the USA?
Chris Kaman is an American NBA basketball player who has never set foot in Germany and cannot speak German, but whose great-grandparents are German, and he receives dual citizenship last month so he can play with the German Olympic Basketball team … who are led by Dirk Nowitzki, who lives in Texas playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
Yao Ming, plays professional basketball in the USA, and goes back to China to play for his national team which is coached by Jonas Kazlauskas, who is the former head coach of the Lithuanian Basketball team.
It appears the 2008 Olympic movement is a reflection of the world in general … including business, entertainment, music, education, consumer products, and most everything else. Cars, televisions, phones and thousands of other products are a mix of parts and labor from countries all over the world.
Half (20 athletes) of the 40 USC-affiliated (University of Southern California) athletes competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics are competing for countries outside the USA.
Fourteen (14) of Stanford University’s 46 affiliated athletes competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics are competing for countries outside the USA.
Stanford University and USC are #1 and #2 in the number of past, current or prospective athletes sent to the 2008 Olympics.
USC affiliated athletes competing for other countries include:
Jamaica - Marvin Anderson, Track.
Ghana - Raphael Asafo-Agyei, Track.
Mexico - Bibiana Candelas, Beach Volleyball.
Brazil - Rodrigo Castro, Swimming.
Great Britain - Natasha Danvers-Smith, Track.
Canada - Blythe Hartley, Diving.
Canada - Zoe Hoskins, Rowing.
Hungary - Katinka Hosszu, Swimming.
Poland - Asia Kaczor, Volleyball.
Hungary - Tamas Kerekjarto, Swimming
Russia - Sofia Konoukh, Water Polo
Slovenia - Brigita Langerholc, Track.
Tunisia - Ous Mellouli, Swimming.
Hungary - Eva Orban, Track.
Hungary - Aniko Pelle, Water Polo.
India - Ankur Poseria, Swimming.
Puerto Rico - Carol Rodriguez, Track.
Dominican Republic - Felix Sanchez, Track.
Lithuania - Inga Stasiulionyte, Track.
Czech Republic - Gabriela Varekova, Rowing.
Stanford affiliated athletes competing for other countries include:
Austria - Markus Rogan, Swimming.
Brazil - Phillip Morrison, Swimming.
Canada - Matt Gentry, Wrestling.
Canada - Adam Kreek, Rowing.
Canada - Sabrina Kolker, Rowing.
Canada - Tobia Oriwol, Swimming.
Kenya - David Dunford, Swimming.
Kenya - Jason Dunford, Swimming.
New Zealand - Clare Bodensteiner, Basketball.
New Zealand - Simon Elliot, Soccer.
New Zealand - Jillion Harmon, Basketball.
New Zealand - Ryan Nelson, Soccer.
New Zealand - Ali Riley, Soccer.
Tunisia - Leila Ben-Youssef, Track and Field.
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Lynda Bracey | Aug 14, 2008 | Reply
I went to university with the father of Jason and David Dunford,Martin, who himself was a fine swimmer and encouraged their interest in the sport. They learnt to swim in the country of their birth,Kenya and went on to school in England until going to university in the US. I am sure Stamford has helped them greatly but please do not try to take all the credit for their sucess. They are proud to represent Kenya
David | Aug 14, 2008 | Reply
Lynda,
Appreciate your comment. I wasn’t trying to give all the credit to the USA or Stanford. In fact, the opposite … saying maybe the Olympics should just acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of each athlete … without trying to decipher which country gets credit … much like Wimbledon and other international sporting events already do.
If someone whose parents are British citizens, is born in South Africa, who then grew up in Japan, went to college in America, plays professionally in Italy, joins the German Olympic team, which trains in France, and is coached by an Australian … whose country should get the Olympic medal?
If the giant Netherlands-based electronics company, Philips, builds a TV in Korea in a partnership with Korean-based LG, and sells the product in America through Japan-based Funai … which country does that TV belong to?
This globalization seems to be increasingly more common in swimming, track and field, gymnastics, cycling, basketball and so many other sports … as in life in general.
April | Aug 24, 2008 | Reply
Part of the idea of the Olympics is to bring people together from around the world, and to see each other as equals. While this is great, and it would continue if we weren’t individually representing our countries, something would be lost. We would not be celebrating our individual differences and our individual cultures. As the world moves to be more globalized, many countries are losing their traditions, and I think this is very unfortunate. Where a person is raised is very important, because as you move forward in life you carry the roots that you were brought up with, with you. Representing our individual countries is a way for each person to stand up and say they are proud of where they came from and their culture. When people are proud of their culture it insures that they will continue to carry their traditions and beliefs forward.