The reunions between North and South Korea that were meant to take place later this month have been threatened to be canceled by North Korea. This is not the first time reunions have been canceled and you can click here to read more about the current reasoning from CNN.
In other news, here are some Asian Americans to look for in this winter’s Sochi Olympics!!
1&2. Maia and Alex Shibutani, a brother-sister ice dancing team from Michigan who will be competeing in this winter’s Olympics. From their website they are the first “ice dance team of Asian heritage to win a medal at a major ISU Championship – 2011 Four Continents Championships.
3. Madison Chock (part of ice dance team with Evan Bates) is Hawai’ian-Chinese decent on her father’s side. Below is a video of her and Bate’s AMAZING performance which helped determine their naming in these Olympics and here is an interview with both Bates and Chock on going to the Olympics which is conducted by Michelle Kwan, two-time Olympic medalist and Chinese American woman.
Click here to view the embedded video.
4. Felicia Zhang, a 20-year-old Chinese-American skater. This will be her first Olympics and she is skating with Nathan Bartholomay in ice dance team. Below is a video of their Senior Pairs skate.
Click here to view the embedded video.
5. Julie Chu! Chu is a 31-year-old hockey player for the United States women’s team. She is the first Asian American woman to play for the U.S. Olympic ice hockey team, as well as a veteran of the Olympic. She will be making her fourth appearance in the winter Olympics this year. Here is a brief article which includes a video of personal interview with Chu and her mother.
6. J.R. Celski, a Filipino American short track speed skater. In 2010 during short track trials Celski fell and cut his leg with his blade however since then he has worked through his injury and is now completing in Sochi! Below is a video interview with him and his mother which goes more into detail on his injury, how he started, and where he is now.
Click here to view the embedded video.
7. Jen Lee is member of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. Lee is of Taiwanese heritage and had his left leg amputated above the knee in 2009. For those interested in hockey, they website The Color of Hockey is about “Players of Color” and here are the entries with Jen Lee tag.
There is also the notable figure skater Mirai Nagasu, who sparked some controversy about racism when she was not named to go to the Olympics despite her bronze medal in the U.S. National Championships. The rest of that article can be found here.
