Feng Yijun was born in China but moved to the U.S at age 8. (Photo : Getty Images)
These athletes are born in China but moved to other countries. Now these expats are bringing their Chinese discipline overseas.
One of these athletes is Gui Lin, a Chinese-born table tennis athlete who moved to Sao Paolo in 2005.
She competed with China's number one Liu Shiwen and lost in 18 minutes into the game. For Gui, she was proud to represent Brazil.
"If I'd stayed in China, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to compete at the Olympics because there are way too many players there. It was not an easy decision to make, but it was all worth it," she said.
Gui and many Chinese athletes have migrated to Europe since the 1980s. These migrants have been trained by the state but couldn't find opportunities in China because of the tight competition.
He Zhiwen, 54, and Ni Xialian, 53, the oldest table tennis athletes in the Rio Olympics, are among the first generation of players who left China to migrate to Europe.
He obtained his Spanish citizenship in 2002 and has been represented the country ever since.
"The Olympics is just so special that you can't turn it down when the offer comes knocking," he said, "Moving to this country, I have been able to extend my career, so I'm grateful for the support it offered."
Ni, representing Luxembourg for the fourth time, agrees with his counterpart. She said that she feels a connection to home when she competes.
"I can't really stop as they (the Luxembourg table tennis federation) came back, again and again, asking me to play. I feel responsible for Luxembourg as a daughter-in-law of this country," she said.
Ni migrated to Luxembourg in 1991 and married her husband, Tommy Danielsson.
However, migrating to another country is not easy. Feng Yijun, another table tennis athlete moved to the U.S. when he was 8. He is now 19.
"If you move to the U.S. too late, I don't think it's worth it," said Feng, "Latecomers will have a hard time learning the language and getting used to the social environment. Plus, the long wait for your citizenship is a hard process."
