The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were a blast. There were so many wonderful stories, athletes, and events, and my family soaked it all in. One thing my sons noticed was that many medalists representing other countries were current or former student athletes at U.S. colleges and universities. After a while, it became a joke: a student-athlete from a U.S. college would medal for another country, and one of my sons would say, “yeah, that’s our medal.”
Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon is Mondo Duplantis, the world record holder for the pole vault. Duplantis’ American father and Swedish mother met as athletes for the LSU track team. Mondo was born and raised in Louisiana, but decided to compete for Sweden, in part, after his father was hired as a Swedish Olympic team coach. Above is a photo of Mondo and She-Carri Richardson together at freshman orientation at LSU.
My sons were admittedly less than thrilled to lose Mondo’s medals and records to Sweden, but I tried to point out that the high number of international medalists hailing from American colleges is a testament to the United States' role as the leader of the free world and as a beacon of generosity and goodwill.
Below is a table demonstrating how the medal count would change if every medal earned by an athlete trained at a U.S. college or university were instead counted for the United States.
Arguments that medals from Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China are made all the more ridiculous by the fact that three of those medals were earned by athletes who trained at U.S. universities. Siobhán Haughey won two of those medals in swimming on behalf of Hong Kong. Her father is Irish, her mother is Chinese, and she graduated from the University of Michigan in Psychology. The simple fact is that the United States is a nurturing ground for international athletes and China is not.
In a departure from Chinese efforts to corral all available medals for its own, this writer is not arguing that the U.S. should be able to count medals earned by foreign competitors who train at American colleges and universities. Here, virtue is its own reward. It is meaningful enough that the U.S. has long been a magnet for athletes seeking world-class training facilities, expert coaching, and the competitive environment necessary to excel on the global stage. This tradition of openness and support underscores a broader narrative about U.S. commitment to excellence, no matter where it hails from. For the U.S., It's not just about winning medals; it's about sharing resources, knowledge, and opportunities with anyone with the talent and hard work to take advantage.
It’s about the American Dream.
In contrast, athletic programs in countries like China and Russia exclusively focus on domestic athletes. While these efforts have produced a measure of success, their approach differs in that promising young children are torn from their families and herded into a faceless Olympic machine that cares only about the outputs. It is no wonder that outsiders are not invited, for who would willingly enter into such bondage?
Some wonder why anyone who could compete for the U.S. would want to represent a different country. There are many contributing factors to such a decision, but it is clear that there is often a stark financial difference. U.S. swimming star Matt Biondi won 11 Olympic medals, including eight gold, two silver and one bronze. In part due to his inability to convert Olympic success into a successful career, and his resulting disillusionment, Biondi famously donated all of his medals to Italy. Although of Italian heritage, it is unclear whether Biondi would have qualified to compete for Italy had he wanted to. However, what is likely is that his star power would have persisted much longer in Italy than in the United States. As an 11-time medalist, he would almost certainly have lit the cauldron in the 2006 Turin Olympics had he competed for Italy. As it was, two time Olympic champion Stefania Belmondo lit it instead. Incidentally, Biondi swam for Cal-Berkeley.
Mondo Duplantis will be treated like a national treasure in Sweden. His marketability will outlive his competition days, and he will likely never regret his decision to be the biggest Swedish fish in the pond. To the great credit of our American culture, few here will give Duplantis’ decision a second thought. Things are very different in China, however.
As shown by the table above, if we were to count the medals of those who had trained at United States’ colleges and universities, the U.S. medal count would be 190 to China’s 91. That is a massive difference, and is not just demonstrative of our commitment to American ideals, but also reinforces America's position as the leader among all nations. China may win the “official” medal count sometime in the future (although not in Los Angeles); but they will likely never win this “adjusted” medal count.
As we celebrate the achievements of this year’s Olympic medalists, let us also recognize the significant role that American colleges have played in their journeys. The U.S. continues to stand as a symbol of opportunity and support to the world. In doing so, America not only contributes to the success of elite athletes no matter their countries of origin, but also reinforces its place as a guiding light in the world of sports and beyond.
America: All we do is win.
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| Siobhán Haughey |
In a departure from Chinese efforts to corral all available medals for its own, this writer is not arguing that the U.S. should be able to count medals earned by foreign competitors who train at American colleges and universities. Here, virtue is its own reward. It is meaningful enough that the U.S. has long been a magnet for athletes seeking world-class training facilities, expert coaching, and the competitive environment necessary to excel on the global stage. This tradition of openness and support underscores a broader narrative about U.S. commitment to excellence, no matter where it hails from. For the U.S., It's not just about winning medals; it's about sharing resources, knowledge, and opportunities with anyone with the talent and hard work to take advantage.
It’s about the American Dream.
In contrast, athletic programs in countries like China and Russia exclusively focus on domestic athletes. While these efforts have produced a measure of success, their approach differs in that promising young children are torn from their families and herded into a faceless Olympic machine that cares only about the outputs. It is no wonder that outsiders are not invited, for who would willingly enter into such bondage?
Some wonder why anyone who could compete for the U.S. would want to represent a different country. There are many contributing factors to such a decision, but it is clear that there is often a stark financial difference. U.S. swimming star Matt Biondi won 11 Olympic medals, including eight gold, two silver and one bronze. In part due to his inability to convert Olympic success into a successful career, and his resulting disillusionment, Biondi famously donated all of his medals to Italy. Although of Italian heritage, it is unclear whether Biondi would have qualified to compete for Italy had he wanted to. However, what is likely is that his star power would have persisted much longer in Italy than in the United States. As an 11-time medalist, he would almost certainly have lit the cauldron in the 2006 Turin Olympics had he competed for Italy. As it was, two time Olympic champion Stefania Belmondo lit it instead. Incidentally, Biondi swam for Cal-Berkeley.
Mondo Duplantis will be treated like a national treasure in Sweden. His marketability will outlive his competition days, and he will likely never regret his decision to be the biggest Swedish fish in the pond. To the great credit of our American culture, few here will give Duplantis’ decision a second thought. Things are very different in China, however.
As shown by the table above, if we were to count the medals of those who had trained at United States’ colleges and universities, the U.S. medal count would be 190 to China’s 91. That is a massive difference, and is not just demonstrative of our commitment to American ideals, but also reinforces America's position as the leader among all nations. China may win the “official” medal count sometime in the future (although not in Los Angeles); but they will likely never win this “adjusted” medal count.
As we celebrate the achievements of this year’s Olympic medalists, let us also recognize the significant role that American colleges have played in their journeys. The U.S. continues to stand as a symbol of opportunity and support to the world. In doing so, America not only contributes to the success of elite athletes no matter their countries of origin, but also reinforces its place as a guiding light in the world of sports and beyond.
America: All we do is win.
AI was used, but mostly discarded, in the creation of this post
