It wasn't my intention to start a series about the Olympics, we all know even though this is a sports event, only 30% - 40% of it is sport and maybe my estimation is naive. The rest is business, hardcore business if I want to be precise. During the event, I'm trying to not think about what's going on behind the scenes, just enjoy what I see, but it's kind of difficult to hide under the rock as you still hear and read things that are shocking. There's one thing that I can't get out of my mind, so I'm going to write about it today.
Last week I wrote a post about a new era, that we're living in a certain sense. Long story short, migration in sport is at a level we have never seen before. We only live once, if your country is not up to the task and you can't get the best training and opportunities, you move or get another citizenship and continue your career in sports in another country. Obviously this is not as simple in real life as there are a bunch of legal obstacles, but this is what I meant.
It seems representation in sports is a topic many are discussing these days and some are betting their life on winning some crusades online for or against some athletes. It's a waste of time and I don't care about it, I only read what I can't avoid, but there's a case that has shocked me.
It's about the two short track speed skaters, two brothers, Shaoang Liu and Shaolin Sándor Liu. Neither short track, nor speed skating in general is my favorite and I only know about the Liu brothers, because they made history with their unique story, but still, it's shocking what's happened.
They are the kids of a Chinese father and a Hungarian mother and they were both born and raised in Hungary, a country with very modest results in winter sports. The country is as plain as a ping-pong table, the thing that they call mountain is a joke honestly (no offense intended), it's more like a small hill by any standard, therefore their only chance in winter ports has been at sports practiced on a skating rink.
Before the two Liu brothers, Hungary had no notable history in short track speed skating, so their success basically put the country on the map in this regard. Shaoang Liu has two golds and two bronzes representing Hungary at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022 in short track speed skating , while his older brother Shaolin Sándor Liu has one gold and one bronze at the same events .
Hungary could not be happier as who would not enjoy making waves in a sports that has never been an easy or accessible one for them, this is why the news that the Liu brothers gave up their Hungarian citizenship, to compete for China, came as a huge shock in 2022.
China is among the elites in this sport, so the decision, no matter how painful it must have been for some, may seemed logical, but what happened in fact?
I was shocked as well, but not because I'm a short track and speed skating fan, but because I had my suspicions of why this move was made and last week my suspicions were confirmed.
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The reason behind their decision (apparently) was their Chinese coach moving back to China. Reading between the lines, I suppose they felt they can't get the best training in Hungary anymore, so they decided to move to China, where this sport is practiced at the highest level with excellent results. This is a double edged sword, because while (apparently) you get the best training and assistance, you also get the strongest competitors you can imagine.
As a result Liu Shaoang made it to the Winter Olympics this year, but his brother didn't as he didn't even get selected in the team. The event commentator said they kind of have disappeared from international events as well.
In this case it doesn't feel good to be right, but anyone with half a brain would see what's going on here. It's like the classical case in business, if you can't beat the competition, buy them out and kill their business, to eliminate competition and that's exactly what's happened here. Buying the two Chinese/Hungarian guys left Hungary with no competitors basically. I mean they have a Korean guy competing for them and a few Hungarians, but chances for these athletes to beat the best of the best are none. Not slim to none, but literally none. So competition for China successfully eliminated.
It was a smart move on China's behalf, but unfortunately the two guys bet on the wrong horse as their career seems finished, although they are still young, there's a whole future ahead of them, in theory.
The other very serious matter is, once you give up your citizenship, your chances to return to that country and have a different status then tourist is none. Now they are stuck in China and are the tool of the Chinese communist party, stuck in a country where people have no life, no future.
Usually this is done the other way around. You go to represent another country where the competition is non existent, thus you get the maximum chance to participate in any international competition, just like the Norwegian slalom skier, who competed for Brazil and won gold. Honestly, I feel sorry for them, but they must know what they are doing as you don't make such a heavy decision in a split second.
Well, this is life, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
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