[tired&retired]

“When the United States failed him – when it didn’t give him the one thing it promises, opportunity “

That statement pretty much sums up where this country is heading..... It’s the reason most immigrants want to come here. It’s the reason we need a fence to keep people out rather than keep people in our country.

When you combine freedom and opportunity you have the basic ingredients for a very good recipe.

[Berlin_Freeper]

and a South Korean, I think Ahn.

[canuck_conservative]

parallel slalom .... parallel giant slalom .... isn’t that the same thing?

[txrefugee]

The entire US Olympic apparatus needs a major overhaul. There are a lot of problems with a top-heavy organization that pays those who “govern” instead of supporting the athletes. And obviously, the coaches that were involved with the mens’ skating and hockey teams should be fired after their lack of results.

[Uncle Chip]

No loyalty — just like professional sports stars selling their services to the highest bidder.

[djf]

He’s local to Washington state, so there has been alot of hubbub here lately.

If he was a nuclear scientist, we would call him a “defector”.
If he was a biochemist or a politician, we would call him a “defector”.

Sorry if I have trouble calling him a “patriot”.

But he does have a hot Russian squeeze, so maybe it works...

[Hot Tabasco]

Marc Girardelli, one of the best alpine ski racers of all time, was an Austrian who quit the team back in 1976 due to coaching problems and went to ski for Luxembourg on the World Cup circuit.

Eventually Luxembourg granted him citizenship thus allowing him to race in the '88 and '92 olympics.........

[tips up]

More examples of shifting nationalities...

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/02/olympics_without_borders.html

The S Korean speed skater, turned Russian, also gave Russia a few medals.

[KansasGirl]

[Wild originally competed for the United States, but due to his marriage to Russian snowboarder Alena Zavarzina, Wild applied for Russian citizenship in 2011.[2]

In 2013 Wild was appointed Strategic Director of the Watch factory Raketa, to experiment the application of winning sportive strategies to the business world.[3]

After winning gold for Russia at the Sochi Olympics, Vic commented, “Russia is a country that made it possible for me to win. Had I stayed in the US, I’d probably be still sitting at home, doing some ordinary job, doing something banal, and not interesting. I always wanted something different.” “It is just amazing that I won this gold for Russia. Some may think, ‘This guy still stays American.’ But that is not true! I am not some American guy that decided it would be easier to get to Olympics in a country where snowboarding is not developed that well. I have chosen a difficult path, and I have walked it to the end.”[4] ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Wild

[Wuli]

this guy may have done the US Olympic program a big service

he may have convinced (shamed) them of their error

maybe the’ll have a good Alpine snowboarding program in place before the next Olympics

[trebb]

Anybody who thinks or expects Olympians are driven to become Olympians due to patriotism is delusional. It's great for the ones who make the team and who also happen to be patriots, but it isn't what gets a toddler and his/her parents up at 0-dark thirty every day for years and makes them go through the rigors and costs of preparing for a shot at the gold.

This guy didn't slam the USA, he was pragmatic about the conditions on the ground and made the most of other opportunities. The author of the article is the one who tried to make it a slam against the USA.

Some things are totally apolitical until "news" agencies get involved.

[dfwgator]

The Winter Olympics should be only the following events:

Skiing - Downhill, Slalom, Cross-Country
Ski Jumping
Speed skating
Bobsledding
Luge
Figure Skating (NO ICE DANCING!)
Biathlon
Luge
Hockey

That’s It!!!

[Ivan Mazepa]

Too bad he couldn’t help the Russian hockey team :)