I don't know. It seems to defeat the whole purpose of the Olympics when you have a bunch of people competing for countries where they don't live, aren't from, don't even know the language etc. It is the same as the whole story about Michael Phelps out-touching the guy from Serbia, Cavic, except really Cavic is from the O.C. It is just skirting the rules. Kaman had no interest in being a German citizen, he couldn't have been a German citizen that fast, except it was fast-tracked because he could help out on the Olympic team. It just is so mercenary.
"I think the US women's ping-pong player is from China."
Not just A player. The four members of the U.S. women's ping pong team are Wang Chen (born in Beijing and who "who was a mainstay of the Chinese team in the 1990s"), Crystal Xi Huang (born in Changsha, Hunan, China), Gao Jun (born in Dalian, China), and Jackie Lee (who was, shockingly, born in the U.S.).
According to Gao Jun's bio at www.nbcolympics.com, "The International Table Tennis Federation recently approved a rule stating that anyone over the age of 21 may not emigrate to another country to further their [sic] playing career. Even those under the age of 21, while allowed to switch country allegiances, would have to wait certain amounts of time before they could actually compete for that nation. That means after the Beijing Games, anyone hoping to emulate the careers of Gao and fellow-U.S. Olympian Wang Chen would not be able to do so. [P] Needless to say it's been met with criticism on both sides of the argument. As Gao told the Associated Press, 'If you cut out all (foreign players) and tell the Americans to play by themselves, you'll see what's going to happen to the level of talent. The situation will be that there won't be any team that can compete against China.'"
In other words, all you Americans can't hold my Chinese jock strap! Of course, who really cares about ping pong besides Forrest Gump?!
What I found interesting about the article was the big issue his father took with it. Personally, I think that if Kaman had the opportunity to play elsewhere as well as the legal ability, why not. His father (whose grandparents WERE the closest German relatives) "sometimes focused on the negative" and Kaman had to "get in his face a little bit". Hm.
Again, my opinions don't concur with the title, I was intending to spark a bit of conversation, which obviously worked.
Comparatively, one of the US long distance runners (1500 and 5000) is from Kenya, and I didn't hear any mention of "traitor" anything.
No Americans are calling Bernard Lagat names, but the Kenyans will do everything they can to beat him. He is viewed as someone who abandoned his country in Kenya, and they may strip him of the 1500m silver medal he won when competing for Kenya in the 2004 Olympics! No one is saying "traitor," but they're certainly not cheering him on anymore.
I agree dusted, my point was if the USA is benefiting from a new citizen, then mums the word. But if it's the other way around, we get some article describing his family tree and/or an FPP that says:
There's some dispute about whether a US citizen playing for another national team is kosher.
Why would it be okay for Lagat, but not Kaman? Or, why is the Lagat controversy ignored, but ESPN does an article about a NBA player who wouldn't have made the US team anyway? Slow news day, maybe?
I'm going to say yes to your question BoKnows. Lagat has moved to the U.S. permanently. He doesn't have dual citizenship or anything. In addition, he has spent years in the U.S., including going to college. Kaman's only contact with Germany is the Olympics. It's the difference between adopting a country as your own and renting a country for purposes of a gold medal.
"Traitor".
What a ridiculous suggestion.
I never hear questions about treason when athletes from other countries gain their American citizenship and compete for the U.S.A.
Yeah, I don't remember much of a stink when Preki gained citizenship in the States to compete in the Gold Cup.
You have Ann Coulter to thank for the redefinition of "traitor" as "someone who does something I do not like". This one's all hers.
I don't disagree with this statement, but you'll catch me with a whole in the back of my head and gunpowder in my cortex before you'll catch me thanking Ann Coulter for anything.
er, "hole", not "whole". I guess the "edit" function hasn't quite come back yet, eh?
The weirdest examples of 'country shopping' in this Olympics have been at beach volleyball. The President of Georgia (yes, the one who's been in the news lately) decided that he liked the look of beach volleyball. As a result, he recruited two Brazilian men and two Brazilian women to represent his nation. I believe the team members may have even visited Georgia at one time.
It's the difference between adopting a country as your own and renting a country for purposes of a gold medal.
Maybe, but if Kaman is "renting" Germany for the purpose of a Gold medal, then he didn't think it out very well.
I think it's a lot weirder (word?) to see J.R. Holden playing for Russia (for obvious reasons). Hard to believe there are many black russians outside of bars...
I believe there's a US women's basketball player who now plays Russia in the Olympics under such a move (which was discussed a while back on SpoFi, though I can't find search so I can't find the link).
I have no problem with someone born in one country playing for another, but it does seem counter to the spirit of the games to allow these fast-track citizenships.
Shouldn't there be a minimum time of citizenship and residence requirement?
I don't know. It seems to defeat the whole purpose of the Olympics when you have a bunch of people competing for countries where they don't live, aren't from, don't even know the language etc.
No argument, but the whole purpose of the Olympics was defeated long ago, sorry to say.
I believe there's a US women's basketball player who now plays Russia in the Olympics under such a move
Becky Hammon.
You're Right lil_brown_bat. The original purpose of the Olympics was individual competition between amateur athletes. It was inevitable that the number of medals won by a country would be promoted by the media and national chauvinists as an unofficial symbol of national superiority. This was exacerbated during the cold war by the communist countries practice of selecting and training potential Olympians on a full time basis while giving them token jobs to maintain the appearence of amateurism. The IOC then decided "If you can't lick 'em, join 'em" so today we have professional athletes trading countries just for a chance to "be there". Might as well get used to it.
It seems to defeat the whole purpose of the Olympics
Defeating the whole purpose of the Olympics... like, say, professional athletes competing? Nationalistic dick size wars about medal counts replacing unity and togetherness? Those sorts of things?
Question: Why do some athletes have to be amateurs while others can play in professional leagues and still compete?
The Olympics doesn't require any athletes to be amateurs anymore. They got rid of that artifice about 10 years ago.
Maybe Kaman is just a guy who wants to play ball in the Olympics.
I have no problem with Kaman playing somewhere else. Cut him a break he plays for the Clippers. Might as well try for some kind of championship in his career.
Linford Christie (England, gold medalist 100 meters, 1992) and Donovan Bailey (Canada, gold medalist 100 meters, 1996) were both Jamaican citizens.
