All smiles for Vanessa Mae despite violinist finishing LAST on Olympic skiing debut

[Muhendis]

It is surely an Eddie the Eagle moment.

Truly the spirit of the Olympics. If she can get to his high standard then she will quite likely come second from last one day.

Bet she had difficulty practising in Thailand

[quagmirefg]

Eddie the Eagle, the Jamacan Bobsled Team, and Vanessa Mae..........

All get my Applause for Effort.

She qualified and competed.

How many TV members here posting can boast such a feat as Competing in the Olympics ?

Thought So............ None

Edited February 19, 2014 by quagmirefg

[Sayonarax]

Born in Singapore and raised in England.. about as Thai as i am English.

[mortiboy]

She should have fiddled it!

[Mosha]

How can she have been last when there were about 20 dnfs?

[Patpending]

well done. a rare nice article in these troubled times.

so talented.

[Ulic]

A complete and utter sham. She should be ashamed. He met the criteria in a series of manipulated races in Slovenia.

She was so far back from 2nd last place her result was a comic tour de force. She would have a difficult time beating a 10 year

old girl from countries with competitive skiing programs. If it were a game of golf she finished 283 strokes behind the

winner in a two day tournament. Thats not her score that is her strokes behind the winner. Just a rich débutante

who wants to claim she was an Olympian. Eddy the Eagle was a double Olympic gold medallist when you compare

his results to hers. The Olympics has fallen a long way down in credibility with this stunt.

[fatdrunkandstupid]

I am just frankly amazed to see a beautiful Thai girl who was not afraid to go outside before the sun goes down.

[evadgib]

This has to be the most utterly ridiculous thread I have ever seen on Thaivisa, and that's saying something!

Well done Vanessa Mae.

[samran]

Just curious to hear what actual resident Thai citizens think about Vanessa competing for Thailand. Yay or nay.

I've always told my kids, who have three passports:

- if they are really good at what they do they can represent Australia

- if they aren't going to make the cut for OZ they can represent NZ

- if they just want to go to the Olympics for the pure heck of it they can represent Thailand

Vanessa Mae has just done the equivalent. She's taken what ever hand life has dealt her and played it. Good on her.

[lor]

Vanessa Mae's father is Thai. She's holding dual citizenship.

I thought it was illegal for a Thai to have dual nationality. However I know every one does it.

Chris

[bigbamboo]

Vanessa Mae's father is Thai. She's holding dual citizenship.

I thought it was illegal for a Thai to have dual nationality. However I know every one does it.

Chris

Can't be. Thaksin is listed as having three nationalities.

Of course being one of the elite hi-so Thais probably means the law doesn't apply to him anyway.

[samran]

Vanessa Mae's father is Thai. She's holding dual citizenship.

I thought it was illegal for a Thai to have dual nationality. However I know every one does it.

Chris

Um, hasn't been illegal since March 1992.

[laobali]

[besides, a little free publicity never hurts. She's managed to get that for herself, Thailand, Women's Skiing and the Olympics all in a combined time of just under 3'27".]

Not to mention the 'avalanche' of comment here on dear old TV! Must be worth something...

[GentlemanJim]

^GJ making more friends . . . while sticking up for a loser.

What an ironic statement coming from someone who supports Celtic.

guess Thais have more important things to worry about now.

I was just wondering about their sentiments of having a foreigner that is a pseudo Thai (or 'Thai on technicalities' having never lived in Thailand or being able to speak Thai) representing Thailand for self enrichment purposes after never really giving a dam_n about her father's country until a few years ago.

You could also add in what would the Thai reaction be if she had won a medal ?

I think there is a technicality because she is only classified as a class B skier she cannot be in contention to win any medals. Sort of like amateur golfers that win don't get the money.

But if she went all balls out and won (instead of worrying about her looks and form) that'd qualify her to become Thailand's next PM in my book. After all, we all know now that she is Thai.

There we have the level of our intellectual playing field on TV. We winge about the current PM's only experience being a good shopper, and he we have someone endorsing a future Thai PM as suitable if they win a medal at an Olympics.

Mods, can we have a new sub-forum titled 'Intelligent people only', a bit like the one where you have to have a required number of posts to enter, this one could be a minimum IQ of 145

Those of you complaining about this woman (most sound the type that claim to be ex SAS in the bars around Nana) would literally sh*t yourselves if you stood at the top of the downhill course and looked down, if you were told you had to go, you would sit on your <deleted> and try and slide down all the way (even then most of you would feel the requirement for a safety rope and creampons. Jeez talk about losers and negative thinkers, you all deserve all you get.

[Jeremy50]

She looks like an excellent skier to me. As someone who has being skiing since a relatively young age I doubt that I look as proficient as this when I ski.

Well done to her. She clearly fell within the rules, she made the qualifying times. She deserved to be there and give it a shot.

Don't blame her because the rules suited her when other skiers who are maybe faster couldn't represent their country because faster skiers already were...

There are some very bitter and sour children posters on this forum, fortunately outshone by the many positive posters who have the ability to see beyond the negative.

I taught skiing for 25 years and her posture is good here apart from some shoulder rotation. It is an 'Eddie the eagle moment' for 2014. The difference is that Eddie wasn't known for anything else except ski jumping. Vanessa though is a brilliant violinist and world class musician. She has chosen to compete in slalom with the worlds best skiers. She knew all along that she would come last but has taken part as a true competitor nevertheless because the opportunity was there. That should be applauded.

[Dimpys Dad]

Wow, what do so many of you have against this girl? A super talented woman who qualifies for one of the scariest of Olympic sports, finishes and we have all these haters! What did Vanessa ever do to you?

How many of you have had a go on a black diamond trail let alone a full olympic course?

Maybe there are a few who have white knuckled it down a BDT before, but doubtfully ever in an all-out competition. You have to have skill and nerve. This lady is one brave cookie, confident and willing to take a risk. Hats off to her.

[stoffel45]

WELL DONE Vanessa Mae-Vanakorn.

To the "Sour-Mouths" - remember, she had to complete the Olympic Trials to qualify - that is no easy task.

To be placed low down in the Company of the greatest skiers on Earth - in competition - in heavy snow - THAT is no small thing.

So to those of you who comment so sourly and find falling off a bar stool the most energetic activity possible - Vanessa Mae is an Olympian - and YOU can't change That!

[Kanthralak 1]

I don't think she is even a Thai citizen. She can't speak Thai and grew up in the U.K. and got to the Olympics just because of her looks and tenuous connection to Thailand, it is really disrespectful that she was allowed to compete with real atheletes who have trained a better part of their lives to achieve this goal.

She has British citizenship etc courtesy of her step father. Years ago she did a concert tour under the title ' China Girl ' and now re-discovers her Thai heritage for the Olympics.

I don't know how involved the Thai Olympic Committee was in this but so far haven't spoken to a single Thai who knows who she is. I do understand the lack of interest in the Winter Olympics though.

I remember only too well the disgraceful Zola Budd situation when the British Olympic Committee simply grovelled to get her to compete since Sth. Africa was banned at the time.

She was given a passport because her father was English, she won nothing and when the games were over went straight back to Sth. Africa.

The disgraceful Zola Budd. <deleted>: You pumped up moldy Troll, how dare you. Zola has more ethics, sound morality, courage and tenacity than you and your whole family put together.

So she used the system to get to compete at Olympic level. Yes like most Australians, American etc... Caucasian South Africans have a heritage as well.

Spineless <deleted>!!!

Vanessa was quite obviously part of the publicity for the Winter Olympics. If she chose to highlight her Thai heritage then strength to her. Thailand should be proud to recognise her, as one of their own. I think she is just great. What a lady. Regardless of her blood line.

[Morakot]

What a shot... What sport did she participate again?

[bangon04]

Like this quote from the DM article:

'It’s a totally different culture in Thailand from the rest on the world. You pay your dues. I do think it’s good to get some time out and to look at the world from a different perspective.’

[NongKhaiKid]

I don't think she is even a Thai citizen. She can't speak Thai and grew up in the U.K. and got to the Olympics just because of her looks and tenuous connection to Thailand, it is really disrespectful that she was allowed to compete with real atheletes who have trained a better part of their lives to achieve this goal.

She has British citizenship etc courtesy of her step father. Years ago she did a concert tour under the title ' China Girl ' and now re-discovers her Thai heritage for the Olympics.

I don't know how involved the Thai Olympic Committee was in this but so far haven't spoken to a single Thai who knows who she is. I do understand the lack of interest in the Winter Olympics though.

I remember only too well the disgraceful Zola Budd situation when the British Olympic Committee simply grovelled to get her to compete since Sth. Africa was banned at the time.

She was given a passport because her father was English, she won nothing and when the games were over went straight back to Sth. Africa.

The disgraceful Zola Budd. <deleted>: You pumped up moldy Troll, how dare you. Zola has more ethics, sound morality, courage and tenacity than you and your whole family put together.

So she used the system to get to compete at Olympic level. Yes like most Australians, American etc... Caucasian South Africans have a heritage as well.

Spineless <deleted>!!!

Vanessa was quite obviously part of the publicity for the Winter Olympics. If she chose to highlight her Thai heritage then strength to her. Thailand should be proud to recognise her, as one of their own. I think she is just great. What a lady. Regardless of her blood line.

You really should learn to read before going off half cocked. I said disgraceful SITUATION not her and how the British Olympic Committee grovelled to get her on board.

[taony]

There is also a Thai guy skiing in Sochi. He just finished the Giant Slalom 65 of 72 finishers.

[pistachios]

WELL DONE Vanessa Mae-Vanakorn.

To the "Sour-Mouths" - remember, she had to complete the Olympic Trials to qualify - that is no easy task.

To be placed low down in the Company of the greatest skiers on Earth - in competition - in heavy snow - THAT is no small thing.

So to those of you who comment so sourly and find falling off a bar stool the most energetic activity possible - Vanessa Mae is an Olympian - and YOU can't change That!

Nope, there were no olympic trials. She just had to complete a few FIS races to qualify, whatever her time was.

[Soutpeel]

I don't think she is even a Thai citizen. She can't speak Thai and grew up in the U.K. and got to the Olympics just because of her looks and tenuous connection to Thailand, it is really disrespectful that she was allowed to compete with real atheletes who have trained a better part of their lives to achieve this goal.

She has British citizenship etc courtesy of her step father. Years ago she did a concert tour under the title ' China Girl ' and now re-discovers her Thai heritage for the Olympics.

I don't know how involved the Thai Olympic Committee was in this but so far haven't spoken to a single Thai who knows who she is. I do understand the lack of interest in the Winter Olympics though.

I remember only too well the disgraceful Zola Budd situation when the British Olympic Committee simply grovelled to get her to compete since Sth. Africa was banned at the time.

She was given a passport because her father was English, she won nothing and when the games were over went straight back to Sth. Africa.

The disgraceful Zola Budd. <deleted>: You pumped up moldy Troll, how dare you. Zola has more ethics, sound morality, courage and tenacity than you and your whole family put together.

So she used the system to get to compete at Olympic level. Yes like most Australians, American etc... Caucasian South Africans have a heritage as well.

Spineless <deleted>!!!

Vanessa was quite obviously part of the publicity for the Winter Olympics. If she chose to highlight her Thai heritage then strength to her. Thailand should be proud to recognise her, as one of their own. I think she is just great. What a lady. Regardless of her blood line.

Think your being a bit harsh, numerous posters are having a go at Vanessa Mae for using entitlement to a Thai passport and trying to infer she is something less than a Thai national, and think NKK is just illustrating this Vanessa Mae thing is not the first time something like this has happened and dont think its a personal attack on Zola Budd, her talent as an athlete or her decision to go to the Olympics under a British passport, maybe the wrong choice of word using "disgraceful"

[Soutpeel]

What a shot... What sport did she participate again?

Who cares as long as piccys like this keep getting posted...

[potters]

A complete and utter sham. She should be ashamed. He met the criteria in a series of manipulated races in Slovenia.

She was so far back from 2nd last place her result was a comic tour de force. She would have a difficult time beating a 10 year

old girl from countries with competitive skiing programs. If it were a game of golf she finished 283 strokes behind the

winner in a two day tournament. Thats not her score that is her strokes behind the winner. Just a rich débutante

who wants to claim she was an Olympian. Eddy the Eagle was a double Olympic gold medallist when you compare

his results to hers. The Olympics has fallen a long way down in credibility with this stunt.

Sham as in they allow professional paid athletes to take part yes it is.

Any sport not just Olympics is all about taking part, coming last so what.someone has too..

.

[herb59]

Vanessa Mae is my ideal woman.

she is yours. my creditcard is too small.

[DrTuner]

Vanessa Mae is my ideal woman.

she is yours. my creditcard is too small.

Read somewhere she's worth 30M£. And she's getting to the age where wealthy women get toyboys, so if BradWalker's early 20's, buff & ready, there's a real chance for a paid up gigolo job.

[SchuetzRob]

I don't think she is even a Thai citizen. She can't speak Thai and grew up in the U.K. and got to the Olympics just because of her looks and tenuous connection to Thailand, it is really disrespectful that she was allowed to compete with real atheletes who have trained a better part of their lives to achieve this goal.

having a bad hair day?

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”

― Pierre de Coubertin