This month, the world will tune in to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy. We will see some 3,500 athletes represent 93 countries or territories — along with the Individual Neutral Athlete delegation made up of those with Belarusian or Russian passports — in favorites like Alpine skiing, bobsledding, curling, figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating, as well as in six new sports. We may also catch a glimpse of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who will reportedly be working in U.S. security roles — a decision that is already the subject of controversy and anger among the Italian hosts and sure to create some unusual optics.
That’s because 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.
Our examination shows that seven of the 230 athletes competing on Team USA are foreign-born and another 31 are children of immigrant parents. Together, they remind us that immigration is a lifelong experience that connects all levels and sectors of society — up to and including the global athletic stage.
The road to these Winter Games varied for foreign-born U.S. athletes. Some have dual citizenship, such as biathlon competitor Campbell Wright, born to American parents who emigrated to New Zealand in the 1990s. Other athletes such as ice dancers Vadym Kolesnik and Christina Carreira and bobsledder Kaillie Armbruster Humphries acquired naturalized U.S. citizenship on their own.
Among America’s Olympians with foreign-born parents, 13 have parents born in Asia. Ten have parents born in a European country, five in Canada, two in South America and one in Mexico. This includes second-generation immigrant and figure skater Ilia Malinin — a student at George Mason University, the home of our immigration research institute — whose parents are both from Uzbekistan.
For native-born figure skater Maxim Naumov, the Olympics will be bittersweet. He will not have his Russian-born parents, themselves former Olympians, by his side as he takes to the ice and competes in his first Winter Games. Both were killed when American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River and our nation’s capital last year.
Others missed their chance to participate in the Games due to ambiguity of their citizenship status. Two-time reigning national figure skating champion Alisa Efimova was born in Finland, married her husband and skating partner (U.S.-born Misha Mitrofanov), and received her green card in 2024. The International Olympic Committee requires athletes to be citizens of the countries they represent, and foreign-born individuals married to U.S. citizens must wait three years for citizenship. Efimova may represent the red, white and blue in 2030 but not in 2026.
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. 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. We’ll be watching and cheering them on regardless of their place of birth.
