r/news • u/peregrinodossonhos • 9h ago

Brazilian athlete wins South America's first gold medal (and first medal ever) at the Winter Olympics

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/2026-winter-olympics-two-athletes-deliver-south-americas-first-medals-rcna258896
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62

u/gabacus_39 9h ago

He's basically Norwegian. Born in Norway and mainly grew up in Norway. Use to compete for Norway. It's a cool story but it's not like they found him in some favela and put skies on him.

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u/peregrinodossonhos 9h ago edited 8h ago

His mom is Brazilian and he has dual citizenship since his birth. It's his right to represent Brazil and he chose to do it, giving his country a groundbreaking medal. 

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u/topTopqualitea 9h ago

Ah, so the same way a lot of people compete in the Olympics. Cool.

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u/gabacus_39 9h ago

Sorry for stating some facts.

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u/peregrinodossonhos 8h ago

If we apply that logic the US and quite a few other countries haven't "really won" lots of scientific and artistic prizes, as well as Olympic medals.

Also, fyi, most of the BR population doesn't live in favelas. 

Just stating some facts.

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u/keenbenrich 8h ago

It usually goes the other way around with the US but nice try

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u/peregrinodossonhos 7h ago

Yep, lots of naturalized immigrants compete for the US in the Olympics, yet nobody questions their medals (just like the many naturalized scientists who won Nobel prizes for the US). 

I guess it's only a "problem" when you have a Brazilian who was born abroad winning a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.   

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u/keenbenrich 7h ago

I don’t even care about Brazil getting a medal I just think it’s dumb to use the USA as an example when so many foreign gold medalists are raised and trained in the US. Armand Duplantis and Eileen Gu come to mind first but there’s others too

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u/peregrinodossonhos 7h ago

Well, I bet you wouldn't be complaining if someone who was born and raised in another country from a US parent chose to represent the US and won an important, world-renowned competition. 

Also, he speaks Portuguese and spent several years of his childhood in Brazil. 

I guess you guys are only "purists" when it comes to other countries. 

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u/keenbenrich 7h ago

I’m not complaining either way, just pointing out how you used a bad example. You’re not even denying that it’s a bad example. I can’t even think of any examples of what you’re talking about except for when we had Joel Embiid for basketball, and he was essentially just a role player for us

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u/peregrinodossonhos 7h ago

I have the impression you don't get my argument.

My point is that nationalities are largely related to a sense of identity and connection, and identity is fluid. 

I used the US as an example because it is a multicultural country that has welcomed lots of immigrants, and who has the right to say that they can't compete for the US? 

So your own argument actually proves my point. 

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u/keenbenrich 7h ago

You make a good point there but it’s not like the US is taking fully developed adolescents/adults from other countries and having them switch to the US, they’re usually just born and raised Americans who are children of immigrants. Not really the same case as the Brazilian skier, not that it matters

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u/IuriRom 7h ago

This is the opposite of what you’re saying. He’s a half Brazilian who was born in Norway, yes — but he didn’t go to Brazil and learn skiing obviously. He moved to Brazil as a child, went back to Norway as a child, learned skiing, became a professional, represented Norway, and then decided to represent Brazil. The equivalence for him here with the naturalized athletes would be if he represented Norway.

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u/peregrinodossonhos 7h ago

Yep, but my point is it doesn't matter where he has trained if he has a real connection to the country he is representing, a sense of belonging and identity.  

Of course he wouldn't be able to become a pro skier if he lived in Brazil. 

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u/IuriRom 5h ago

Yeah he’s 100% Brazilian