LOS ANGELES, California -- Weeks away from the 2016 Summer Olympics, the delegates of United States Olympic Team, the No. 1 ranked country with the most gold and most overall medals is almost complete. And included in their roster of world-class athletes is Paula Lynn Obanana. The 31-year-old from Dumaguete is set to parade and represent the U.S. in her Olympic debut in Rio. “Before it only just a dream. Before when I was little, I'm just watching like all these, especially US athletes, I'm always just watching them in TV. And I just tell to myself, ‘I wish one day, I can play in the Olympics.’ And right now, I am playing. I really happy… I'm overwhelmed of everything,” said Obanana. Obanana, who started playing badminton at the age of 10, was once a member of the Philippine national team. She competed in various competitions including the Southeast Asian Games. Pinoy badminton player now a member of the US Olympic team
Another thing that touches me. I can't stand when a person plays on a team that shouldn't be theirs in something like the Olympics or is representing a country that isn't there's. Maybe the person is a citizen which would make it all good to me but how can you say The *US* team when they put non citizens on it and just pretty much buy talent from other countries.
I remember way back in the 60's in the UK when a Young African Girl of a British Father had a fast tracked British Passport done so she could Run in the Olympics, she was the Bare foot Runner called Zola Budd. Maybe this young Lady has a US Passport some how. Just a Thought.
She has a right to compete if she is a US citizen (which she very likely is). She emigrated to the US in 2005, giving her 11 years to gain citizenship. (I believe it takes 10 years to pull that off without any military service). The article also offers no details about her family or the nationality of her parents. It is possible one of her parents could have been a US citizen. It is likely her nationality status wasn't mentioned, or likely even questioned by the reporter, because the article was written as a "Filipino Pride" piece. Telling the readers that this young lady has reached what many Filipino would consider "the end of the rainbow" would lead to many feeling quite a bit of resentment (crab mentality), not a false sense of pride. Also, having a look at the Olympic rules it seems that she most definitely is a US citizen:
If she is representing the USA pretty sure she has passport , USA should have a decent shooting team, should win GOLD medal hands down or hands up