{"id":16552,"date":"2013-12-30T01:12:27","date_gmt":"2013-12-30T01:12:27","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-15T12:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:14:39","slug":"asian-american-athletes-in-sochi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=16552","title":{"rendered":"Asian American Athletes in Sochi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be held Feb. 7-23, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.<\/strong> This marks the first time that the Russian Federation will have hosted the Winter Games \u2013 the Soviet Union hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. Sochi, the host city, has a population of 400,000 and is located in the third largest region in Russia \u2013 Krasnodar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Team USA athletes will compete in the following sports at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Biathlon<\/li>\n<li>Bobsled<\/li>\n<li>Curling<\/li>\n<li>Figure skating \u2013 ice dance, pairs, singles (men\u2019s and ladies), team<\/li>\n<li>Ice hockey<\/li>\n<li>Luge<\/li>\n<li>Short track speedskating<\/li>\n<li>Skeleton<\/li>\n<li>Skiing \u2013 alpine, cross country, freestyle, jumping\/Nordic combined<\/li>\n<li>Snowboarding<\/li>\n<li>Speedskating<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Games will be organized in two clusters: a coastal cluster for ice events in Sochi, and a mountain cluster in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains. This will make it one of the most compact Games ever, with approximately 30 minutes travel time from the coastal to mountain cluster.<\/p>\n<p>The Sochi Olympic Park will be built along the Black Sea coast in the Imeretinskaya Valley, where all the ice venues such as the Bolshoi Ice Palace, the Maly Ice Palace, the Olympic Oval, the Sochi Olympic Skating Centre, the Olympic Curling Centre, the Central Stadium, the Main Olympic Village and the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre, will be built anew for the 2014 Games.<\/p>\n<p>The mountain cluster in Krasnaya Polyana will be home to all the skiing and sliding sports. There will also be a sub-media center in the mountain cluster.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi, visit: http:\/\/sochi2014.com\/en\/.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Our fabulous Asian Americans representing #TEAMUSA in Sochi are:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Julie Chu<\/h2>\n<p>Julie Chu is an ice hockey forward who has earned three Olympic medals (Salt Lake City 2002 \u2013 silver; Torino 2006 \u2013 bronze; Vancouver 2010 \u2013 silver) and is seeking her first gold in Sochi.  Playing with the U.S. women\u2019s national team since 2000, Chu has earned four world championship titles and three world silver medals.  She is also currently serving as an assistant coach to the Union College women\u2019s ice hockey team.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/V9PRlKSBj_E\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MttCQ1qLZr8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Julie Chu is a pioneer of women&#8217;s hockey in the United States. Chu&#8217;s passion for the sport and commitment to consistently doing &#8220;the little everyday&#8221; things have helped her become one of the longest serving players in U.S. Women&#8217;s National Team History. Join her as she prepares for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. These are her every day training tips.<br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F9RgMtqXDFU\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x8TP7GJkm0M\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Maia and Alex Shibutani<\/h2>\n<p>Maia and Alex Shibutani are a sibling ice dance team.  They are the 2011 World bronze medalists, the U.S. silver medalists in 2011 and 2012, and bronze medalists in 2013.<br \/>\nTheir competitive career started in 2005 with a silver medal in juvenile ice dance at the U.S. Junior Championships during their very first year competing in the sport.  The following two seasons they captured back-to-back U.S. National titles competing at the next successive levels \u2013 Intermediate (2006) and Novice levels (2007).  Their competitive career at the Junior level was highlighted by a silver medal at the 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and a third U.S. National title, winning the gold medal at the Junior level in 2010.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shibutani &#038; Shibutani &#8211; World 2013<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uLxkryl5BaM\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As competitors at the senior level since the 2010-2011 season, Maia and Alex have been 3-time medalists at the U.S. Championships, and made a historic debut during their rookie season, becoming the first ice dance team to medal at both of their Grand Prix events and the first U.S. Ice Dance team to medal during their debut at the World Championships (2011).<br \/>\nIn August, 2012 Maia and Alex launched their official YouTube channel \u201cShibSibs\u201d Productions.  Their channel includes original videos which Maia and Alex have filmed, directed and edited \u2013 which have thus far garnered over 810,000 views.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E9Wc0V-6MV4?list=UUPB7-Ktk6nn4BBm299eL_IA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ct_dI7ryU8c?list=UUPB7-Ktk6nn4BBm299eL_IA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>J.R. Celski<\/h2>\n<p>Born in Monterey, California to Robert and Susan Celski, J.R. is half Filipino and half Polish. He was raised in a loving family from Federal Way, WA alongside two brothers, Chris and David. At the age of 14, J.R. moved to Long Beach, CA at to pursue Olympic Dream. In 2008, he graduated from Lakewood High School and was accepted to attend the University of California, Berkeley. He put school on hold to skate full time. At the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, J.R. won 2 bronze medals. As one of his interests, J.R. started a production company in 2010 called M.A.D. Northwest that&#8217;s producing a film entitled &#8220;The Otherside&#8221; focusing on the Seattle Hip Hop Scene. <\/p>\n<p>J.R. Celski&#8217;s quest to become a two-time Olympian will get going Friday at the 2014 U.S. Olympic Trials \u2014 Short Track Speedskating. We&#8217;re looking forward to it!<br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ioB6szj4Ag8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aVDgA1vWwqU\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Otherside (2013) Official Trailer<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"500\" height=\"315\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H_9O0afHkxc\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>For a full rundown of schedules, athlete videos, Olympic protocols and more, please visit www.NBCOlympics.com or www.TeamUSA.org.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As a reminder, you can watch the first competitions of the Games on NBC starting February 6th, even though the opening ceremonies are February 7th and run through February 23rd.<\/strong>  The Paralympics are two weeks later in Sochi March 7-16.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>The U.S. Olympic Committee is one of the only Olympic Committees in the world that receives no government funding for our athletes.<\/strong>  They rely 100% on sponsors and donors to pay for training and participation in the Olympic Games.  The Raise Your Hands campaign is a way for the public to help. <\/p>\n<p><strong>About Raise Your Hands<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Raise Your Hands is a campaign to drive support for Team USA and our athletes <\/li>\n<li>ALL funds to support Team USA athletes come from sponsorships and individual donations<\/li>\n<li>With a pledge of just $14, fans will receive a pair of &#8220;GO USA&#8221; mittens commissioned specifically for the U.S. Olympic Committee.  The mittens are available now through the end of the Games and beyond at:  www.teamusashop.com\/pages\/Raise_Your_Hands<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be held Feb. 7-23, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. This marks the first time that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[1012],"tags":[2120],"class_list":["post-16552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-travel"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x90.jpg","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"Admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53e6cdc30765aade0129f85e5aeb50124b1d3f5bb9a70373be31e4eb328371e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be held Feb. 7-23, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. This marks the first time that","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Travel"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":195,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg",113,170,false],"medium":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg",113,170,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg",113,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?author=1"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53e6cdc30765aade0129f85e5aeb50124b1d3f5bb9a70373be31e4eb328371e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-1012\">Travel<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/72448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}