It has been done before. But my question is not really can it be done, but should it be done? Is citizenship something that should be sought after the same way an athlete seeks sponsors? This is basically what is happening. Instead of a frame builder or shoe maker, she is looking for a country to sponsor her for the 2008 Summer games.
It's a neat story, but it got me thinking about the ethics behind it. Where does it end? Can I go find a small island or a struggling third world country to grant me citizenship so I too can be an Olympian?
I think that if you don't have the legs to qualify for your countries Olympic team, then you don't have the legs to be an Olympian. Citizenship is not simply the color and name on your jersey. It's not sponsorship. At least not in the same sense that we normally think of sponsorship. Citizenship is more than that. It is identity, it is geography, and it is something that I don't think should be sought after simply for athletic gain.
Is shopping yourself around to any country willing to give you a chance the best way to go about becoming an Olympic athlete?
At 2:37 PM, 
StupidBike
At 4:15 PM, 
Since the Olympics are about a nation's athletes competing, there is a huge difference in what it takes to get on an Olympic team in one country versus another. In some ways I can understand trying to get adopted by another country but at the same time it just doesn't feel right to me.
Unfortunately there are a lot of politics involved with the Olympic because of national pride. Why did the East Germans have a major doping program? If I remember correctly, there's been suspicions about the Chineese.
From reading the article, it does seem as though that the suggestion to find another country came from ESPN.com (her employer/sponsor) ... so I can understand why she is doing so in pursuit of her dream.
And with the small island nation that is considering her, she is willing to help present them in a positive light:
"For the next couple of hours, Winston, Greg and I discuss how they can best entice their government to grant me dual citizenship. Winston wants his country to set up cycling camps. I can help with that. Greg wants to bring a new level of coaching to the cycling and triathlon programs. I can help with that, too. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll move to St. Kitts and Nevis. I'll train there. And I will respect their country, always, in my cycling and my journalism. "
It's an interesting read ... I'm going to go back and read the first 8 articles in the series, and am looking forward to reading the continuing saga ...
At 11:18 AM,
I have had my issues in the past with the way the international organizations (IOC, FIFA, et. al.) play fast and loose with citizenships and international representation, but in this case I don't actually have a problem with it. I have a big problem when someone who is native-born and could legitimately help their native country goes and represents a more powerful country instead (for instance, Giuseppe Rossi insisting on playing soccer for Italy even though he's New Jersey-born and the USA could really use him). I also would have a problem if someone were to adopt another country and snatch a bid away from a native of that country who would have qualified otherwise. That would mean they were selfishly stealing away someone else's dream.
However, neither of those scenarios applies here. She tried to get on to the US team first, before she ever even thought about country-browsing, and she's not denying anyone else a chance. St. Kitts doesn't have any native-born Olympic level cyclists. She does have enough athletic talent to pursue a bid - she's not a couch potato trying to do the impossible, or some rich schmuck trying to buy herself a spot she doesn't deserve. As long as she's capable and someone's willing to give her a chance, why shouldn't she take it?
Besides, it's not like she's just going to take their citizenship and bank it - she's promising to work with them to build up their cycling program, with the goal of one day reaching the point where a native-born rider CAN hope to qualify for the games. That's some pretty serious quid pro quo going on there. And it can definitely benefit the country - Greece had to import pretty much its entire baseball team from other countries for the 2004 Olympics, but a lot of them pledged to help develop the sport in Greece in exchange for the chance to play, and they have - it's really starting to thrive there.
most sports it just won't work. I could go ride for Bali's olympic team, except Bali won't get an entry into any olympic cycling event because no Bali rider has uci points.
Now the fact that the US women who just won the first world cup road race this past week, has not chance of making the olympic team, cause she is not on the short list, decided last year, is a crock.