Ice Skating Benedict Arnold

[Bucky]

[yt]DpGn6a3GLbw[/yt]

Yuko Kawaguchi was branded a traitor in her native Japan when she changed nationality to pursue her childhood dream of competing in the Olympics. Since Japan does not allow dual citizenship, the figure skater was forced to give up her Japanese passport in exchange for a Russian one, enabling her and partner Alexander Smirnov to represent her adopted country at next year's Winter Games in Vancouver.
"It was a very hard choice for me to make. But since I was a little girl I wanted to compete in the Olympics so in the end I had to make that choice in order for me to fulfill my childhood dream," the Aichi native told Reuters in an interview.
While competing internationally for Russia required approval only from the sport's governing body, the International Skating Union (ISU), she had to obtain Russian citizenship in order to take part in the Olympics.

more on the traitor:nihonjin:

[Mulboyne]

It is interesting that there's a stricter nationality requirement for the Olympics. Another skater, Rena Inoue, has represented both Japan and the US. She skated for the US before she got citizenship but it looks like she had to apply for it to enter the Olympics. Meanwhile, on the other side, Canadian Mervin Tran represents Japan, partnering Narumi Takahashi, and I'm fairly certain he hasn't got a Japanese passport. Kawaguchi says that she skated for Japan with Alexander Markuntsov but he couldn't get Japanese citizenship and they broke up. Tran and Takahashi are the current Japanese national champions so it will be interesting to see if he can become Japanese or whether Takahashi will have to turn Canadian to go to the next Olympics.

[Taro Toporific]

Ice Skating Benedict Arnold.

At her "advanced" age, 28 years old, she is lucky to get any shot at the Olympics. The Japanese Olympic Committee would rather develop a younger upcoming talent than an unproven woman at the end of her career. Also, you have to wonder if her deprecated facial appearance (her square head/jawline is hated by Japanese) has anything to do with her decision to skate overseas where her appearance is considered "just Japanese"---cute and fit.

[Coligny]

Also, you have to wonder if her deprecated facial appearance (her square head/jawline is hated by Japanese) has anything to do with her decision to skate overseas where her appearance is considered "just Japanese"---cute and fit.

Damn for me it's instaboner...

[bolt_krank]

Looks like lots of hipocracy to me.
The majority of the people yelling "traitor" are the ones that probably sit on their arses doing nothing anyhow.

[TennoChinko]

Interesting.

I guess the reaction would probably have been less negative to downright shoganai had she naturalized as an American or Canadian citizen. Russia is still considered an unfriendly "enemy' country by the extreme right-wing.

[Kanchou]

Athlete isn't given the time of day by their country's olympic committee, athlete changes citizenship and competes. It's not the first time it's happened. It happened in lady's basketball a while back too IIRC. The bigger # of world-class athletes in a given sport a country has, the harder it is for any individual to ever get a chance to go to the olympics.

OTOH, some of the really vague sports like handball have actually had Olympic teams formed with complete beginners on the team (namely the US ladies handball team).

Just thing about how hard it is to get onto say, the US Davis Cup team when there have been the same four-five guys occupying it for the last eight years or so. The same goes for the Olympics.

[Mulboyne]

What is odd about something like pairs or ice dance is that a competitor can be well liked by the sport's governing body but ineligible for Olymoic selection if their partner is not a citizen of that country. That's why it will be interesting to see what happens with Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran who are the Japanese national champions. If Tran can't get Japanese citizenship in time, they'll have to split up or else Takahashi will have to look into becoming Canadian.

[Behan]

What is odd about something like pairs or ice dance is that a competitor can be well liked by the sport's governing body but ineligible for Olymoic selection if their partner is not a citizen of that country. That's why it will be interesting to see what happens with Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran who are the Japanese national champions. If Tran can't get Japanese citizenship in time, they'll have to split up or else Takahashi will have to look into becoming Canadian.

Kind of makes you think why the Olympics have to be set along national lines. Maybe people should just go there as individuals, or as pairs in this case, regardless of nationality. If they win a medal, of course the people from their home country will celebrate but it would be nice of nationality weren't so important. Maybe they could cut out the flag raising and national anthems, too, and just celebrate the winners.

I don't know what this would do with team sports, though.

[Takechanpoo]

she had to obtain Russian citizenship in order to take part in the Olympics

this woman is so retarded as she abandoned the citizenship of most advanced country in the earth in exchange for barbaristic third world one.

[Mulboyne]

Kind of makes you think why the Olympics have to be set along national lines.

There was a peculiar one in the last Olympics. Phillip Dutton, who won two Olympic golds for Australia, moved to the US, became a US citizen and competed in Beijing for the US team. In some sports, competing for one national team precludes you for turning out later for another but the IOC seems quiet flexible on that score.

[Samurai_Jerk]

most advanced country

[Coligny]

this woman is so retarded as she abandoned the citizenship of most advanced country in the earth in exchange for barbaristic third world one.

Would you like some tea with your polonium ?

[Greji]

this woman is so retarded as she abandoned the citizenship of most advanced country in the earth in exchange for barbaristic third world one.

[Kagetsu]

Good on her.