EXPLAINER: Competing for 'another' country is nothing new

Updated Feb. 14, 2022 6:31 a.m. ET

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BEIJING (AP) — U.S.-born athletes have taken center stage at the Winter Olympics in Beijing — for the host country, that is, generating scrutiny of nationality-switching.

the prodigious — and, depending on who you ask, prodigal — freestyle skier who chose to compete for her mother's native China over her native U.S., has drawn critical coverage that has at times

But the likes of Gu and

In an increasingly globalized society, is it any wonder that identity and nationality are fluid? Sports, after all, can be a great unifier of national identity — but also an expansive instrument for welcoming or attaining belonging.

Here's a look at the nuts and bolts of competing for “another" country:

DO YOU HAVE TO BE A CITIZEN TO COMPETE FOR A COUNTRY?

Under the

DOESN'T THAT MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE BORN IN A COUNTRY TO COMPETE FOR IT?

Birthright citizenship isn't a universal concept. The U.S. is one of the most prominent practitioners of jus soli, conferring citizenship on anyone born on U.S. soil.

— Many countries use jus sanguinis — blood ties — in their citizenship criteria. If you are born in France, say, but your parents aren't French, you can't attain citizenship until your teenage years.

— Naturalization is another path to citizenship. Two common ways of attaining naturalization are jus domicilii (fulfilling residency requirements) and jus matrimonii (marriage to a citizen). Tim Koleto, a U.S.-born ice dancer representing Japan,

—If you're wealthy enough, you can also buy citizenship or at least a visa with a fast track to citizenship in some cases. Countries sometimes actively recruit, too — like China with its hockey team, though the details of that are a mystery.

With each country having dramatically different citizenship requirements — some as loose as having a single grandparent born on its soil — it would not be out of the question for a would-be competitor to have five passports.

SO WHAT IS THE CALCULUS BEHIND CHOOSING YOUR COUNTRY?

It's a matter of opportunity and philosophy. If you're a star player in a team sport, you would likely opt for the country that has the best chance of winning. But if your main goal is to just make it to the Olympics, you might find a clearer path through a country that's not a powerhouse.

There are also sponsorship deals and sentiment to consider. Gu is the star of Team China, whereas she would have been among a field of telegenic, charismatic figures like Chloe Kim if she had competed for the U.S. And she has deep ties to China — she spent significant time here growing up, was raised by a Chinese mother and speaks Mandarin fluently.

In some cases, the choice doesn't feel much like one:

ONCE YOU CHOOSE A COUNTRY, DO YOU HAVE TO STICK WITH IT?

No. However, if you've represented one country on the international stage, you do have to wait three years before you can represent another at the Olympics. This waiting period can be reduced or eliminated if all the involved National Olympic Committees and the relevant international sporting federation are in agreement, though.

Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy shot to fame at the 2014 Winter Olympics, where he won a silver medal as part of the U.S. team.

WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO HAVE NO TIES TO THE COUNTRY FOR WHICH THEY'RE COMPETING?

I see you've been taking in the ice dancing. The discipline is rife with pairs where at least one half has tenuous, if any, ties to the country for which they compete (though

Furthermore,

Simon Proulx-Sénécal used to compete for his native Canada, but switched to Armenia after pairing with Tina Garabedian, an Armenian-Canadian.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN COUNTRIES CEASE TO EXIST?

The dissolution of the Soviet Union happened

The Olympic Charter makes a special provision for instances of independence, border changes and mergers, offering athletes a one-time choice between representing the original entity or the new one.

WHAT DO CRITICS SAY ABOUT NATIONALITY SWITCHING?

While the Olympics profess to eschew politics, almost every facet of them

Athletes who switch nationalities risk being branded traitors by their spurned countries. In 2017, track's international governing body froze nationality switches and its president, Sebastian Coe, said the switches were “bordering on trafficking if you’re not careful.” The comment was sparked by nations

Even former IOC President Jacques Rogge expressed concern about financially motivated decisions to switch nationalities in 2012.

HOW ARE THESE ATHLETES RECEIVED BY THEIR ‘NEW’ COUNTRIES?

It kind of depends how they perform. We've

This is a theme seen throughout the sporting world: Soccer fans can be brutally racist or xenophobic toward certain players on national teams. German-born Mesut Özil helped Germany to a World Cup victory in 2014, but —

“I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose," he wrote upon resigning from the national team.

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New York-based Associated Press journalist Mallika Sen is on assignment at the Beijing Olympics. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mallikavsen

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Jeremy Smith