Foreign swimmers training in the U.S.

Former Member
Former Member
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.
Parents
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I don't think there is a single point that anyone has made on this thread when arguing that swimming scholarships should go to U.S. citizens first that could be considered racist. It's fine if you disagree with that viewpoint, but it is completely irresponsible to make a serious accusation like racism without cause. It is not by definition the nature of the debate, as you state. I haven't heard anyone say that we shouldn't welcome people of all nationalities to attend U.S. universities and compete. We are simply having a discussion about who should pay for it.
Reply
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I don't think there is a single point that anyone has made on this thread when arguing that swimming scholarships should go to U.S. citizens first that could be considered racist. It's fine if you disagree with that viewpoint, but it is completely irresponsible to make a serious accusation like racism without cause. It is not by definition the nature of the debate, as you state. I haven't heard anyone say that we shouldn't welcome people of all nationalities to attend U.S. universities and compete. We are simply having a discussion about who should pay for it.
Children
No Data