Oregonian Olympic Athletes

With the Olympics well under way, most local citizens may be surprised to know that a decent chunk of our country’s athletes have Oregon ties.

 

According to The Oregonian and The Statesman Journal, over 40 athletes from around the world and the United States have been identified as having Oregon ties. Among these athletes, 29 of them — that’s 5 percent of the nation’s 529 — are competing for our country. Most of these athletes seem to hail from either the Portland or Eugene area, with 10 of them having ties with the Oregon Ducks. And though they’re not competing for the United States, three of the Portland Trailblazers are also participating in the london games: Nicolas Batum of France, Victor Clover of Spain, and Joel Freeland of Great Britain.

 

But what about Corvallis? Out of the 46 total athletes, two of them actually have ties with the Oregon State Beavers. Kim Butler, representing Britain, is a basketball player with ties to Oregon State University, and Patricia Obee, representing Canada, is a rower who also has Beaver ties.

 

As of the beginning of this week, none of our local athletes seem to have any U.S. medals, but this could very well change. For those interested in continual coverage, you can either visit the official London Olympics website or keep your eyes peeled on your local television stations. It’s exciting enough to know so many Oregon folks made it this far, but it’ll be even greater to show the world what Oregonian athletes are capable of.

By Sean Bassinger