Ohio State University’s Colin Zeng has learned he will be unable to compete in the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, beginning this Saturday in Indianapolis. The 21 year old had hoped to earn a spot to compete for the United States in Rio.
The 2016 NCAA men’s platform diving champion has lived in the United States since 2010 on a student visa. Zeng lived in China before then.
While he was approved for an immigration visa petition last week, he will unlikely have a green card by the start of Trials. Even if Zeng could acquire that paperwork, the high performance director at USA Diving Steve Foley said a green card would not be enough. U.S. citizenship is required in order to participate. That is typically a five year process.
The only remaining option is an “EB-1 visa for aliens of extraordinary ability” or a private bill, via a Congressman. Both of those options are rare, and the latter would go as far as to require a signature from the President. If it worked, that would grant immediate citizenship. Zeng’s legal guardian in America, Jolyn Canty, is helping to pursue those options.
Zeng’s current status will at least allow the Big Ten Diver of the Year to remain in the United States while pursuing citizenship.
There are too many good divers who are already American citizens to take extraordinary measures on this individual’s behalf. I hope he eventually becomes a U.S, citizen and competed @. the ’20 Trials.
Now if it were a Sun Yang, Katinka Zhosszu, Adam Peaty or Flirent Manadou in this situation then I’d say: ” By ANY means necessary!”