The Athletic Mercenary

Bernard Lagat, Becky Hammon, Lisa Stublic what do the three have in common, they were born in one country but were representing/trying to represent another in this year's Olympics. The cases of Lagat and Hammon are probably the most famous/infamous. Lagat, who had gone to college, trained and competed in the United States was finally granted US Citizenship and would compete wearing the Red, white and Blue in Beijing instead of the Black, green, and red of his native Kenya. Hammon spurned by team USA coaches decision to not take her decided to use her parent's double citizenship to get on to the Russian National team. Former Connecticut Track great Lisa Stublic she was using her Croatian double citizenship to try to qualify for the women's steeple chase ( Sadly she failed to make the "B" qualifying standard).



It leaves an interesting question should athletes be allowed to change their nationality to compete? It a sporting rich country such as the United States, some of the best athletes may miss making an Olympic team by hundredths of a second, especially in sports like swimming where only two athletes can qualify for a given event. For some athletes, a reasonable option is competing for another country that doesn't have as deep of a talent pool. It may not be unreasonable, if like in the case of Lagat, the person has been living and training in their adopted country for a number of years. Or in Stublic's case if they still have familial ties (ie relatives still living )in the country they are representing. The other argument is on the duel citizenship, in some country's citizenship is awarded up to two generations from the first expatriate ( layman's terms, Grandpa left Ireland for the US so sonny and grandsonny can get Irish citizenship.) Stublic's dad was born and raised in Croatia and emigrated to the US so in her case she still has strong ties, but let's say me, a third generation American ( longer on Dad's side.), was to find some loop hole that would allow me to get Lithuanian citizenship ( great grandpa on Mom's side was from the Lithuania) so I could swim or do Tri for them if I made the time standards. Would I be right in doing so? For one I know little to nothing about the country ( except it's a Baltic State, Predominately Catholic, and was a pain in the Soviet's side.) I don't speak the language, I know very little about the culture, so if I was to win a gold medal for them and heard a National Anthem I don't even know the words to, for a country I don't know, would it not seem a bit hypocritical, but at the same time if I was the World number 3 in swimming second only to two other Americans would it not be a waste of talent, time and effort, not to do everything possible to compete.

In Hammon's case what has made her a social pariah may not be the way she went about getting into the games but the country she representing. Hammon, born and bred in the US is representing Russia. Yes, that's right Russia, formerly the USSR, formerly the Evil Empire, Formerly Stalin's Stomping ground, the Antagonists to the 1980 Miracle on Ice, and a source of tremeandous bad blood in the infamous 1972 3sec. from gold USA/USSR Gold medal basketball game. (The USSR won after a decision to reset the clock to 3sec. when a Soviet coaches call for a timeout went unanswered what resulted were two confusing sequences, one when the clock was being reset and the refs resumed play and the US thought they won, then the official restart in which the USSR got the ball to the net and got past the US for gold. To this day that men's basketball team has not and swore they will not accept their silver medals.) So a US kid playing for Russia, can be seen as treason to many especially those of us from the Cold War generations.

For athletes in powerhouse countries such as the United States, the decision between athletic goals and patriotism are a heartbreaking double edged sword. On one side if an athlete does the "right thing" and try to represent the US and get shut out at Olympic trials or team selections, they live with the knowledge that you will be an unknown and all the years of hard work, sacrifice, and desire were for naught. If they choose to represent someone else ( especially a Cold War enemy) they are seen in the same hue as Benedict Arnold. For athletes on the bubble, an agonizing decison awaits them what drives them more, love of sport, or love of country.