Nationality still matters deeply atthe Olympics, as scoreboard operators were reminded before the games evenofficially began when North Korean soccer players angrily delayed the start ofa match because the South Korean flag had been mistakenly displayed next totheir names.
But while Olympians continue torepresent one flag, their lives are increasingly multinational. Considerswimming, the two men who tied for the silver medal in the 200 freestyle behindYannick Agnel of France was Sun Yang of China and Park Tae-hwan of South Korea.They train regularly in Australia. So it goes in many Olympic sports, includingtrack and field, where the world’s best continue to gravitate to training basesand coaches in the United States and Europe. At this post-modern stage,nationality can even be a symbolic choice for a star athlete. Maria Sharapova,who has lived and trained in the United States since she moved to Florida as ayoung girl to become a tennis champion, continues to represent Russia, thenation of her birth, because she wants to honor her parents, her roots and herRussian identity.
Buteven when nationality in sport is clear and unmistakable, influences andemotions can become mixed in this era. Sun is rapidly becoming a Chinese icon,the latest emblem of the country’s ability to thrive on the global stage. Yethe and many other Chinese swimmers have often trained in groups in Australiasince the 2008 Games in Beijing.
OnMonday night, Sun had no Chinese teammates with him in the 200 freestyle final,but he did have a Miami Swimming Club teammate in Thomas Fraser-Holmes, theAustralian who is also coached by Cotterell.
“I’minspired by trying to compete with the best at the highest level,” Cotterell,62, explained of working with a global elite. In February, after watching Sunput himself through an epic, brutal distance workout, Cotterell stood on thepool deck in Gold Coast and answered his critics. “If they’re prepared to dowhat I put them through, like this set tonight,” he said of Sun and theChinese. “If they’re prepared to do that, they deserve results. “
