Vanessa Mae is set to ski for Thailand at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

[bigbamboo]

Is she even a thai citizen? Other than her appearance and last name she's stayed with her step father in the uk most of the time and she was born in Sg.

She was born in Singapore and is a British Citizen.

Is she not a Thai citizen too?

Although she has never spent much time in Thailand she has always been good PR for Thailand.

Just like Yingluck...!

[Valentine]

Shades of the Jamaican bob sled team. Guess it's a case of Vanessa fiddles while her skis burn. Good luck to her.

Somalia have an ice hockey team going to the world cup. Vanessa is a very talented individual & kudos for trying but I doubt she will even come close.

[Tywais]

Shades of the Jamaican bob sled team. Guess it's a case of Vanessa fiddles while her skis burn. Good luck to her.

Vanessa is a very talented individual & kudos for trying but I doubt she will even come close.

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

--Greg Anderson

[chuckd]

All this blathering brings to mind a famous quote:

“It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.”

― Grantland Rice

[bigbamboo]

Shades of the Jamaican bob sled team. Guess it's a case of Vanessa fiddles while her skis burn. Good luck to her.

Vanessa is a very talented individual & kudos for trying but I doubt she will even come close.

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

--Greg Anderson

No happy ending with Joy then, whoever she is.

Edited January 20, 2014 by bigbamboo

[paz]

The most important thing is that looks wise she passes as Thai, and she's beautiful. That's a gold medal in itself. Everything else is moot.

I was thinking medals should be given for accomplishements, like sports, courage, generosity, etc..

Not genetics.

Edited January 20, 2014 by paz

[MMarlow]

so she's not a thai citizen.

Vanessa-Mae wanted to represent Thailand in ski events at the 2002 Winter Olympics, but her dream of becoming a professional international skier did not materialize. Thai authorities at that time requested that she give up her UK passport in exchange for a Thai passport. Later bureaucratic barriers were overcome and Vanessa-Mae received her Thai passport on an exceptional basis and retained her British one as well.

Source

Vanessa-Mae, whose full name is Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, is a British and Thai citizen.

She was born in Singapore to a Chinese mother and a Thai father, but she was brought up in England when her mother remarried a Briton.

"I wanted to compete for Thailand because there is a part of me which I have never celebrated - being Thai," she said.

Source Sky

Seriously why is there a need for her to carry the last name nicholson?

Do you know that's the name of her step father whom her mum married after divorcing her dad. Really weird for her to take on her step father's last name.

It's called her choice. Why do you seem to have such a problem with something that doesn't have any effect on you?

Edited January 20, 2014 by MMarlow

[funcat]

Good...very good...this gives me the reason to follow The Winter Olympics....I'll cheer for her...

[mojorison]

About time she makes something of her life...

Nah seriously, what a high achiever... good luck to her, she would probably run the country pretty well too...

[tomyummer]

And the 'second set of criteria'? What is it?

I'm thinking of putting together a curling team. Anyone?

[bangon04]

Good luck to her she's has a marvellous talent and will be a great representative for Thailand.

It's amazing that she qualified, because I am sure Thailand has a huge number of downhill skiing international champions who are itching to get to the Olympics....

[pipkins]

Chok dee lady, you are going to need a lot of that.

unless she fiddles it.... :( ok I'm gone

[Johpa]

It's amazing that she qualified, because I am sure Thailand has a huge number of downhill skiing international champions who are itching to get to the Olympics....

There are quite a few Thai citizens. including my son, who are expert skiers and who could have easily qualified for one of these symbolic Olympic participation spots, a chance for a country to have their flag on display in the opening ceremony. But the cost of even these symbolic qualifications is not insignificant. Ms. Mae is financially secure, lives in Europe where the qualification events take place, and well, kudos to her.

[sirineou]

Vanessa Mae is HOT!!!

She can ski or anything else for my team any time. Not only very beautiful but talented and very intelligent

Thais should be very proud of her.

[englishoak]

Vanessa Mae is HOT!!!

She can ski or anything else for my team any time. Not only very beautiful but talented and very intelligent

Thais should be very proud of her.

Except shes not Thai, she was born in Singapore and raised in the UK, her Thai biological father was just a sperm doner. Everything she has achieved has been simply because of where she grew up and the interest in music was nurtured by her parents and by that i mean her mother and stepdad, nothing at all to do with her Thai blood.

The woman is an amazing person and yes Thailand should be proud and feel lucky she has graced them with opportunity to represent the country of her fathers birth.

[binjalin]

Is she even a thai citizen? Other than her appearance and last name she's stayed with her step father in the uk most of the time and she was born in Sg.

She was born in Singapore and is a British Citizen.

hence the absurdity of representing Thailand

[binjalin]

Is she even a thai citizen? Other than her appearance and last name she's stayed with her step father in the uk most of the time and she was born in Sg.

She is Thai. Staying with a stepfather doesn't have anything to do with Thai citizenship as long her mum or father was Thai.

she is NOT Thai - good luck to her but this is a 'convenience' she is a British Citizen, can't speak Thai and never met her bio father

[TVGerry]

Is she even a thai citizen? Other than her appearance and last name she's stayed with her step father in the uk most of the time and she was born in Sg.

She was born in Singapore and is a British Citizen.

hence the absurdity of representing Thailand

So what? She has Thai blood. That good enough.

If people whose parents aren't even from that country and can be given citizenship to compete, why is it absurd for someone who is half Thai by blood to do so?

[3NUMBAS]

ah the thais will be proud and take their mind of the aggravation.

they havent had a hero since wattanas last game

[binjalin]

Is she even a thai citizen? Other than her appearance and last name she's stayed with her step father in the uk most of the time and she was born in Sg.

She was born in Singapore and is a British Citizen.

hence the absurdity of representing Thailand

So what? She has Thai blood. That good enough.

If people whose parents aren't even from that country and can be given citizenship to compete, why is it absurd for someone who is half Thai by blood to do so?

it should be where you are a citizen - it's a nonsense as she would not even make the first round in Britain

holds a British passport let her compete for her country not sneak in through Thailand

[TVGerry]

it should be where you are a citizen - it's a nonsense as she would not even make the first round in Britain

holds a British passport let her compete for her country not sneak in through Thailand

She has a Thai passport so she's Thai and the Olympics people are okay with it so good for her. But you know, you really ought to tell the IOC how things 'should be'.

[JesseFrank]

I don't think it's a good idea................she's so hot that she's gonna make the snow melt

Edited January 20, 2014 by JesseFrank

[Tywais]

it should be where you are a citizen - it's a nonsense as she would not even make the first round in Britain

holds a British passport let her compete for her country not sneak in through Thailand

She has a Thai passport so she's Thai and the Olympics people are okay with it so good for her. But you know, you really ought to tell the IOC how things 'should be'.

Some just don't read beyond the 1st post or else he would have seen multiple times she has a Thai passport and citizenship.

Oh, and it is confirmed now that she has qualified for the Olympics: BTW, she has been skiing since she was 4.

Legendary violinist Vanessa Mae has qualified for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she will represent Thailand.

Mae’s manager Giles Holland told the BBC: "It would appear that she's done it. She's done it by a whisker, but she's done it."

The news was later confirmed by the FIS, skiing's governing body, whose representative Ana Jelusic said that Mae "ticks all the boxes," having gained the required level of points in at least five slalom or giant slalom races.

Mae, 35, is British but her father is Thai, meaning she is eligible to represent the South East Asian nation.

And, after putting her music career on hold for 12 months, she has met the FIS eligibility criteria to compete for a country that does not have a world top-500 winter athlete.

uk.eurosport

[bangon04]

She was born in Singapore and is a British Citizen.

hence the absurdity of representing Thailand

So what? She has Thai blood. That good enough.

If people whose parents aren't even from that country and can be given citizenship to compete, why is it absurd for someone who is half Thai by blood to do so?

it should be where you are a citizen - it's a nonsense as she would not even make the first round in Britain

holds a British passport let her compete for her country not sneak in through Thailand

It seems a lot of the Brits here have forgotten the woeful tale of Zola Budd???...

[Basil B]

It seems a lot of the Brits here have forgotten the woeful tale of Zola Budd???...

Thanks I have just spent the last five minute trying to remember her name, just to make the point you have.

I think for some Thai's (and posters on TV) accepting Vanessa as Thai would be a hard pill to swallow because it would give legitimacy to Abhisits claim to be Thai as well.

I wounder if Yingluck will be wishing her well???

[wooloomooloo]

I don't understand the nit-picking about her nationality and the Thai political undertones on this thread.

Her biological father is Thai and mother is Chinese. She's obviously a talented skier and been competing for years.

Bloody good luck to her.

[pistachios]

Come on don't get carried away, she's a decent skier, in the same way as a woman running the 100m in 13s is a decent runner.

If she were talented, she wouldn't be 10 seconds behind a bunch of 17 year old slovakian girls during their national junior championship.

Even with all the luck in the world, she will cross the line with the worse time, unless a couple of african skiers manage to qualify and finish the race as well.

Anyway she will be able to tell her grandchildren that she competed in the olympic games, which is a pretty good achievement regardless of the dubious way she obtained it, good for her!

[BradWalker]

Although she might be the best violinist around and is definitely beautiful, she is probably not the world's best skier. Nevertheless, I respect her for challenging herself and for having the "go for it" spirit. Good on you, Vanessa!!

[Mosha]

Shades of the Jamaican bob sled team. Guess it's a case of Vanessa fiddles while her skis burn. Good luck to her.

Cool Running 2. The Jamaicans are going to Sochi.

[jaideeguy]

I used to see her practicing up on Doi Suthep in CM and wow, she was a whiz. Had this trick of using her violin bow and violin as those skiing sticks.

multi talented and hard working girl!!