Yes, some Olympic athletes are allowed to compete for a country other than the one they live in

The 2024 summer Olympic Games officially kicked off in Paris on July 26. American athletes are representing the country in a variety of sports, including gymnastics, basketball, soccer and tennis. But some Americans, like track and field athlete Alex Rose and wrestler Austin Gomez, are competing in this year’s games for Samoa and Mexico, respectively. 

One viral tweet with millions of views asks why some athletes represent a country they don’t live in. The post, referring to Palestine’s Olympic team, says, “Why the majority does not even live in ‘Palestine’ ? How did they even qualify?”

THE QUESTION

Are some Olympic athletes allowed to compete for a country other than the one they live in?

THE SOURCES

THE ANSWER

Yes, some Olympic athletes are allowed to compete for a country other than the one they live in. 

WHAT WE FOUND

Certain athletes can choose which country they want to represent at the Olympic Games. The bylaws of Rule 41 in the Olympic Charter say an athlete who has citizenship in two or more countries at the same time can select which country to represent.

However, there are rules limiting how often they can change affiliation. If an athlete represents one country in the Olympics, regional or continental games, or championships recognized by International Sports Federations, they must wait three years before representing another country, the Olympic Charter says. This period can be reduced or canceled by International Sports Federations and the National Olympic Committee.

Typically, athletes participate in a variety of international events ahead of the Olympics, so it's likely a country of representation has already been selected within this three-year timeframe. 

Multiple Olympic athletes in this year’s Paris games are U.S. citizens representing different countries. For example, wrestler Austin Gomez was born in the U.S. but is competing for Mexico, where he holds dual-citizenship. While Gomez is on the wrestling team at the University of Michigan, he has been wrestling internationally for Mexico since 2022.