“… Beyond medals and achievement, the Olympics shine a light on how talent and opportunity transcend borders”
There is simply no celebrating the 2026 Winter Olympics without also celebrating the immigrant roots of Team USA – just look at the numbers. “Team USA is comprised of athletes who were born in the United States as well as athletes born abroad and athletes who are children of immigrant parents or second-generation immigrants,” the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) at George Mason University said in recent research. “When examining individual athletes’ profiles, approximately 3.0% of athletes competing on Team USA are foreign-born and another 13.5% are children of immigrant parents(s). Combined, nearly 17% of Team USA has direct immigrant ties.”
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“The foreign-born athletes on Team USA were born in five different countries: Australia, Canada, Italy, Ukraine, and New Zealand,” IIR continued. “The road for competing and representing Team USA in the Olympics for foreign-born athletes varied. Some of the foreign-born Olympic athletes who are competing on Team USA have dual citizenship. Other athletes such as Vadym Kolesnik, Christina Carreira, and Kaillie Armbruster Humphries became naturalized U.S. citizens.”
Kolesnik, who is originally from Ukraine, was sworn in as an American citizen just this past August, fulfilling a critical component of his Olympics eligibility. While skating partner Emilea Zingas said Kolesnik was “really nervous” ahead of his exam, he passed with flying colors. “Today I was sworn in as a US citizen after nine years of living in and representing America,” Kolesnik wrote in an Instagram post this past summer. “This journey has been amazing and I am so grateful for everyone who has helped me get here.”
While competing in the Olympic games is a deeply personal accomplishment for any athlete, the games stood out for Kolesnik in a number of ways. Not only did he and Zingas end up placing fifth in Milan – a “stunning” Olympic debut, NBC Olympics reported – Kolesnik reunited with Ukrainian family members for the first time in four years, the AP reported. “You have to remember this war is really close to his heart,” Zingas said. “Every day he gets sent videos and messages about friends dying or getting injured. It’s not an easy thing. For the last four years, every day, he’s had some big weight put on him.”
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“For the second-generation athletes, their parents’ backgrounds are incredibly diverse with three-fourths of parents born in countries in Asia (i.e., China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand) or Europe (i.e., Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan),” IIR continued. “Other countries include Canada, Argentina, and Mexico. This includes second-generation born and current George Mason University student and figure skater, Ilia Malinin, whose parents are both from Uzbekistan.”
Figure skater Maxim Naumov is not only among Olympians with foreign-born parents, he comes from a family of champions. His late parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were also Olympians, placing fifth at the 1992 Winter Olympics in France, fourth at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, and winning gold in pair skating at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships in Japan. The pair had been coaching young skaters following their retirement when they were among the 67 passengers who were tragically killed in the American Airlines Flight 5342 collision in Washington, D.C. last year.
Maxim’s Olympic debut is the manifestation of a seed planted by his father in the time before he died. “In one of their last discussions as a family, Naumov’s father laid out the plan to ensure they could reach the Olympics in one year,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “He thinks about that talk constantly now.” In Italy, Maxim wore his father’s ring as a tribute. “He looked toward the rafters and spoke to his parents,” the L.A. Times continued. “‘Look what we just did,’ Naumov said. ‘We did it.’”
During the Paris games in 2024, the children of immigrants helped Team USA dominate the games. Gymnast Suni Lee, the daughter of a refugee born in Laos, won two bronze medals and a group gold medal, which combined with wins at the 2020 Summer Olympics made her one the most decorated American gymnasts of all time. Some jubilant attendees welcoming her back from Paris were members of Minnesota’s Hmong community. “Hmong people do not regularly see themselves in national media stories or celebrated as part of the national conversation,” journalist Nancy Yang wrote in 2021. “Lee has elevated a community that has for decades felt invisible and forgotten by America.”
Other Olympians with immigrant roots similarly triumphed during the 2024 games. Soccer player Naomi Girma, the daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, won gold. It was the women team’s first in more than a decade. Gymnasts Paul Juda and Asher Hong won bronze, marking the first time the men’s gymnastics team won an Olympic prize in over 15 years. Juda is the son of Polish immigrants and Hong is the son of Chinese immigrants. 20-year-old wrestler Amit Elor, a daughter of Israeli immigrants, “became the youngest U.S. wrestler, male or female, to ever win an Olympic gold medal,” Yahoo! Sports reported.
Recent summer games have also been notable for featuring the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. “That group, made up of independent Olympians who are refugees, debuted at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and won its first medal at Paris 2024,” The New York Times reported. The team was met with resounding applause at the Paris games, as we noted at the time. They were led by Cameroon-born boxer Cindy Ngamba and Syria-born taekwondo athlete Yahya Al Ghotany, who had the honor of being designated flag bearers for what was only the third-ever Olympic team composed of displaced individuals from around the world.
“I’m just one of millions,” Ngamba said at the time. “There are many refugees out there, just like me, who have not been given the opportunity [that we have], who will be watching the Olympics – and hopefully we can inspire them to believe in themselves and believe that through hard work, through hardship, you can strive in life and achieve miracles.”
WHEN TEAM USA FOUND OUT WHEN THEY WON GOLD! 🥇 #winterolympics
— NBC Sports (@nbc-sports.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T16:31:57-06:00
Back in Milan, Malinin “delivered a must-win free skate” that helped break a tie and win gold for the American figure skating team, USA Today reported. “The Americans jumped for joy on the podium as they were announced the Olympic champions and received their gold medals. The crowd roars for every name, with a big ovation for Malinin.”
In an op-ed, IIR Assistant Director Marissa Kiss and IIR Founding Director Jim Witte wrote that “beyond medals and achievement, the Olympics shine a light on how talent and opportunity transcend borders. This global competition is built not just on a diversity of athletes across nations, but within them — and few delegations demonstrate it more clearly than Team USA.”
“Consistent with the ideals of the Olympics— excellence, respect and friendship — the U.S. has for many generations and in many ways met immigrants and refugees with a welcoming spirit,” they continue. “This spirit has been instrumental in providing a sanctuary and opportunities to millions of displaced individuals. In return, most immigrants and refugees work hard, contribute and give back to their new communities. Some become naturalized citizens. A select, dedicated few even represent their new nation on a global stage as Olympians.”
