Violinist Vanessa Mae is set to represent Thailand as a skier in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics next month.
Wait, what?
Seriously, Mae, who has been competing as Vanessa Vanakorn using her father’s surname, has qualified for the Olympics under a little known technicality that allows countries without big winter sports programs send one athlete to the games.
Mae, better known as a platinum-selling violin prodigy, has been an avid skier since her youth. She was born in Singapore to an English father of Thai descent and a Chinese mother.
She unofficially qualified this weekend in competitions in Slovenia, the BBC reported, but must still be approved by the governing board.
“I am taking a plunge. I am British, but realistically there is no way I could represent my own country, but because my natural father is Thai, they have accepted me,” said Mae, when she announced that she was shooting for the Olympics.
Related:
When hell freezes over: Booze commercial makes the impossible happen in Bangkok
Reader Interactions