There has been a lot of discussion since Athens about foreign swimmers training in the United States. Most of them attend U.S. Universities, receive athletic scholarships, and compete at NCAA's. Some notable examples include Duje Draganja (Cal), Fred Bousquet and Kirsty Coventry (Auburn), Markus Rogan (Stanford), and the South African sprinters (Arizona). Some train in the U.S., but don't compete for a university (Inge de Bruijn). All of these athletes benefit from U.S. coaching, from training with U.S. swimmers, and in some cases, from financial support provided by U.S. entities (athletic scholarships). They all turn around and then win medals for other countries.
A couple questions: 1) What do you think about this arrangement generally? 2) Is it of benefit or detriment to U.S. swimming to have these foreign athletes training and competing here? 3) Should we be giving athletic scholarships, which are a scarce resource in swimming, to foreign athletes who will represent their own countries internationally instead of U.S.-born swimmers who will represent us internationally?
I'm sure there are other issues, but these come directly to mind.
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Former Member
Aquageek, you're extending what I said to encompass the entire public education system in the U.S. Don't generalize. I wasn't referring to poor or unemployed people in our country. I'm talking about non-U.S. citizens whose own countries have their own systems for providing education. Yes, presumably foreign swimmers attending U.S. universities on athletic scholarships receive an education here. But, I don't think it's a stretch to say they aren't here for the academics alone. Most of them are here to benefit from U.S. coaches and facilities in order to improve their swimming. For us to support that financially...yes, I consider it charity.
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Former Member
Aquageek, you're extending what I said to encompass the entire public education system in the U.S. Don't generalize. I wasn't referring to poor or unemployed people in our country. I'm talking about non-U.S. citizens whose own countries have their own systems for providing education. Yes, presumably foreign swimmers attending U.S. universities on athletic scholarships receive an education here. But, I don't think it's a stretch to say they aren't here for the academics alone. Most of them are here to benefit from U.S. coaches and facilities in order to improve their swimming. For us to support that financially...yes, I consider it charity.
