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JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

ICE DANCING

All 3 Reed siblings go to Olympics in ice dancing

Sports Feb. 11, 2010 - 05:07AM JST ( 9 )

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9 Comments

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movieguyFeb. 11, 2010 - 08:33AM JST

Ummm... Sorry, but it's not at all possible for Cathy and Chris to have "dual citizenship." Japan doesn't allow it. So how could the JOC allow them to be part of the Olympic team??? I'm all for dual citizenship, but I HATE it when Japanese officials only want to allow things when people are "famous" or they can benefit in some other way.

At this point Allison can have two passports because she's not an adult so it's not an issue at all. The U.S. allows dual citizenship, but I'm not aware of Georgia.

Very weird story...

The only thing I know is that people are supposed to turn in their passport if they decline to declare citizenship at 20 years old. Of course the literal turning in of the passport doesn't happen. I have two friends, one Canadian/Japanese and the other American/Japanese and they never went through any formal thing, but they both consider themselves Canadian and American respectively. When they go to Japan they use their Japanese passport. When they go to other countries they use their Canadian and American passports.

Can anyone with info let us know how the JOC can extend nationality rights to the two siblings???
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my2senseFeb. 11, 2010 - 12:42PM JST

quite true, not sure how they bypassed the 20 and pick law... Special treatment?
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Suzu1Feb. 11, 2010 - 12:44PM JST

Perhaps these two siblings are within the age that they can have dual citizenship. At a certain age they are supposed to choose but until then they should have equal rights under both nationalities.
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cleoFeb. 11, 2010 - 12:54PM JST

There's a period of grace up to the age of 22.

Perhaps as more dual-nationality folk offer the chance for Japan to do well in sports and other fields, tolerance for dual nationality will grow.

Otherwise Japan is just cutting off its own nose.
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Pukey2Feb. 11, 2010 - 01:04PM JST

I also thought that you had to be a national of the country you're representing if you're participating in the Olympics. I know it's not necessary for some other competitions but the Olympics has different rules and that's why Kawaguchi changed nationality (Russian).

> Their original dance may help make that point: it’s a Japanese folk dance complete with kimonos and fans.

I saw the costume. Embarrassing. I have no idea why the authorities insisted on a country's costume. A certain couple (probably from an ex-Soviet nation) offended the Australian aborigines with their costumes and 'Indian' dance.
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sctaber56Feb. 11, 2010 - 05:20PM JST

Aw, come on everyone, it's the Olympics, for gosh sakes. Lighten up and just ENJOY the beauty and spirit of competition. How exciting for all of the competitors, regardless of the county he/she is representing at the moment. Let the Winter Games begin!
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ThonTaddeoFeb. 11, 2010 - 10:17PM JST

I agree, Sctaber. The Olympics is about athletes putting forth their best performances and inspiring the world; not about nation-states.

Some day I'd like to see an Olympic Games where nationalities aren't even mentioned or considered. Politics has no place in sport.