Off Topic Dual citizens in the Olympics

[BlackBeltGymnast4321]

Can you compete in the Olympics if you are a citizen of more then one country? Which country would you compete with? Or could you just pick one?

 

[gymnastflip]

The country with which your FIG licence is registered for.

 

[lilmisssunshine]

Can you switch countries? Just curious. My son is a dual citizen and today mentioned that he'd like to compete on the team of his non-American country (but we live in America). He's only 6, though and was also shocked to find out that he had several years of practice ahead of him.

 

[Faith]

You have to pick one. I'm fairly sure you can switch though- look at Chuso . Presumably you can't switch back to a country you "left".

I know here there are a few kids compete for their "other" country. Basically here if you are good enough for Team GB you do that, because you will be lottery funded. If you don't quite make it but would make national team for, say, Jamaica, you can do that, but you won't get home funding, you may have to pay your own way to the olympics if Jamaica don't have a nationally funded program

 

[bogwoppit]

Many gymnasts train in one country and compete for another that they have dual citizenship in, happens quite a lot in the US in fact.

 

[munchkin3]

There is a young man at our gym who is doing that.....he has trained in the US forever, but parents are from another country....he will be attempting to go to the 2016 Olympics for the other country....I don't know how his training schedule will be though...back and forth I guess!

 

[Firefly]

We have a gymnast training with us who has competed in the Olympics for another country as well. She is hoping to qualify again to compete in Rio. She's a dual citizen because her parents are US immigrants. She was born here. She would have no Olympic chance as a US athlete, so it's a really cool opportunity for her.

 

[Aero]

If a gymnast trains in their country of residence, but wishes to compete in the Olympics for another country, how would the coaching work in this situation? She would have an "at home" coach, and then an "Olympic" coach?

 

[Jenny]

If a gymnast trains in their country of residence, but wishes to compete in the Olympics for another country, how would the coaching work in this situation? She would have an "at home" coach, and then an "Olympic" coach?

Yes but that is true for most international competitors. A couple of coaches might be named team coaches for an event but the girls in the team might be from 5 different clubs. So at that level they get used to competing without their personal coach.

 

[JennC4]

We had a girl at our gym who trained competed Level 10 for our gym, but was also on the Canadian national team!

 

[JennC4]

With that said, I'm not sure if she would've been able to compete for USA after.

 

[thefellowsmom]

I know of a girl with dual citizenship. Her coach has already set her up with the national program in that country and she has visited, worked out and even competed at a meet there. She is a level 9 here.

 

[lilmisssunshine]

Our "other country" is Japan though, which I think is also a very competitive country.