Elizabeth Swaney – The Loophole that Allowed Her to Compete at the Winter Olympic Games

Elizabeth Swaney, an Olympic skier, has quickly gained attention by using a loophole to compete in this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Although she is from the United States, the 33-year-old athlete competes for Hungary. She has quickly gained notoriety for performing the safest possible run down the half-pipe.

According to BBC, during Swaney’s infamous run, she approached the half-pipe slowly. She then proceeded to make her first jump, achieving a height of approximately 6 inches — a stark difference when compared to the other competitors, who regularly jump several feet. She continued on in this manner until her last jump, where she turned and exited the halfpipe backward.

Many have wondered why Swaney is allowed to compete at this level. The answer lies in her careful planning. Swaney had always aspired to compete at the Olympic Games, so she chose to become proficient at a sport with very few competitors.

She began to attend competitions like the Women’s Pipe Skiing World Cup. The International Olympic Committee allows top-30 finishers at this World Cup to compete in the Olympic Games. These events, however, seldom have 30 competitors. By completing safe runs and not falling, Swaney usually achieves a low score, but often finishes ahead of other competitors who attempted actual tricks, but lost points for taking falls.

Her consistently low scores were not enough to land Swaney a spot on the American Olympic half-pipe ski team, however, so she had to shop around to find a country to compete for. She found her place on the Hungarian half-pipe ski team, whose roster was far from filled.

Elizabeth Swaney’s cautious run has received both good-humored approval and criticism. Many in support of Swaney felt that she brought a sense of lightheartedness to the games. Critics of Swaney have suggested that allowing her to compete has made a mockery of the sport.

Swaney’s Olympic attempt has prompted the International Ski Federation to consider making changes to their rules. A new rule would likely require that competitors seeking an Olympic qualification must perform tricks. Under this rule, Swaney’s bare minimum skiing style would not meet the competitive requirements.