Olympics Briefing: Identity Games

National representation can mean different things.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 3, 2024 Follow along during the day's action with live coverage from The Athletic. The Puerto Rican men's basketball team. Sameer Al-Doumy/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By Andrew Keh Reporting from Paris Athletes at these Olympics represent 204 countries. It's an orderly way to organize a sprawling sporting event, and convenient for the purposes of storytelling and marketing. But the realities of national identity and culture are rather more pliable. Consider, for example, the men's basketball game scheduled for Saturday between the United States and Puerto Rico. On one side, there's Joel Embiid, one of the most dominant players on the planet. Born in Cameroon, Embiid obtained both French and American citizenship in a span of a few months in 2022. Embiid's eventual decision to pick the United States from his three passport options has remained a source of tension here in Paris, albeit mostly among French fans and commentators. The Puerto Rican team, more quietly, has sparked its own debates. To understand the crux of the conversation, it's helpful to look back to its team from 2004, led by Carlos Arroyo, which stunned the United States, 92-73, at the Athens Olympics. The win is remembered as one of the most electrifying moments in Puerto Rican sports history. Eight of the 12 players from that 2004 team were born in Puerto Rico, and of the four who weren't, one was eventually raised there — and essentially all of them spoke Spanish. After 20 years, the two teams meet again in the Olympics. This time, only two of the 12 members of the Puerto Rican squad — assembled by Arroyo, now the team's general manager — were born on the island, and only a few of them speak Spanish. Does this matter? Some think so. Others don't mind; after all, the team qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2004. Either way, the issue has trained a microscope on a larger societal debate, on social media and other platforms, about the meaning of Puerto Rican identity and language. It's worth noting that this is nothing new. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, I wrote an article pointing out that there were at least 44 Chinese-born table tennis players representing 22 different countries. One of the players, who was representing Brazil, told me she felt completely Brazilian. Another one, who was representing Qatar, said it didn't matter which country he personified. Perhaps it's best to simply remember that representation, in sports, is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. TODAY'S TOP STORY James Hill for The New York Times A One-Man Team's 10-Second Olympics Winzar Kakiouea, a 100-meter runner, is the only competitor at the Paris Games from his Pacific island nation. His debut might be over in a flash. By Hannah Beech MEDAL COUNT     GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL United States 9 18 16 43 France 11 12 13 36 China 13 9 9 31 Britain 9 10 8 27 Australia 11 6 5 22 Japan 8 4 6 18 See all medal counts Source: International Olympic Committee Results as of Aug. 2, 6:33 p.m. E.T. Welcome to Day 8 A whopping 29 gold medals will be up for grabs on Saturday, with some of the biggest American stars of these Games gunning for them. At the track, we'll see the long-awaited Olympic debut of Sha'Carri Richardson, the flamboyant and extremely fast Texan, who'll be favored to win the women's 100-meter race. You may recall that she missed the Tokyo Games after testing positive for marijuana. Simone Biles — the proud owner of a diamond-encrusted goat necklace — will go for her third gold of these Games, in the women's vault final. And on the second-to-last night of swimming, Katie Ledecky, who might very well deserve a goat-shaped necklace herself, will aim for her ninth career gold medal while competing in the women's 800-meter freestyle. The Olympics are available on NBC and Peacock in the United States. MORE OLYMPICS COVERAGE Olympic Officials Defend Fighters' Eligibility in Women's Boxing Controversy Online fury and unclear rules have left organizers of the women's boxing competition in Paris facing complex questions about fairness in women's sports. By Jeré Longman and Emmanuel Morgan Marcell Jacobs Has Waited a Long Time to Prove the Doubters Wrong When the Italian sprinter came from nowhere to win 100-meter gold in Tokyo, whispers spread about his sudden rise. In Paris, he hopes to silence them for good. By Rory Smith Equestrian Is Having an Uncomfortable Moment. Its Olympic Horses Are Not. Accusations of mistreatment cast a shadow over dressage and other events. Can cooling tents and locally sourced hay change the narrative? By Sarah Lyall, Rory Smith and Dmitry Kostyukov Some of our Olympics coverage — including these dispatches — will also be available in Spanish. You can read them here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Olympics Briefing from The New York Times. To stop receiving Olympics Briefing, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018