“我告诉他们我不能放弃我的美国公民身份,”史密斯说。 他们像这样说:'别担心。我们不会要求你这么做。这并不是整个过程的要求。这只是让你有资格参加奥运会。'”
"I told them I can't renounce my U.S. citizenship," sAId Smith. "They were like, 'Do not worry. We will not ask you. This is not what this whole process is about. It's about getting you qualified for the Olympics.'"
昆仑队将那些在中国以外出生的人称为“血缘引入”球员。中国不允许双重国籍,但众所周知,外国运动员例外。
“我告诉中国,我永远不会放弃我的[美国]护照,他们说没关系,”史密斯说。
史密斯不确定他是否有任何中国血统。这并不影响他代表国家的资格。 “要参加奥运会,你必须持有与你参赛的国家/地区的护照。我查了一下:我认为东京 [2020 年] 有 180 名奥运选手使用的护照不是他们的出生国,”史密斯说。
Kunlun refers to those born outside of China as "Heritage and Import" players. China does not allow dual citizenship, but it's known to make exceptions for foreign athletes.
"I told China that I'll never give up my [U.S.] passport, and they said that's fine," said Smith.
Smith isn't sure if he has any Chinese heritage. It doesn't factor into his eligibility to represent the nation. "To play in the Olympics, you have to have a passport for the country [with whom] you're competing. I looked it up: I think there were 180 Olympians in Tokyo [2020] that participated under a passport that is not of their birth country," said Smith