Liu brothers move closer to potential China switch

Hungary's short-track speed skating stars Sandor Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang could represent China in the future after the Olympic champions lodged applications to change their nationality.

The Hungarian National Skating Association (MOKSZ) on Tuesday posted a statement on its website confirming that the Liu brothers had officially filed the applications — although did not directly specify which country they might represent in the future.

Born in Budapest to a Chinese father and a Hungarian mother, the Liu brothers are expected to skate under the Chinese flag should their applications be approved. Their longtime mentor in the Hungary team, Zhang Jing, returned to serve as head coach of the Chinese national squad in August and the brothers are keen to maintain that highly successful relationship.

"After the Beijing Olympics, the brothers indicated that they would definitely like to continue to prepare under the guidance of Zhang Jing (Lina), the head coach of the national team. Unfortunately, Lina, at her request, had to terminate her indefinite contract, given that she had received an offer that was hard to turn down from the association of her home country, China, for the position of head coach of the Chinese speed skating team," read a translated statement from the Hungarian association.

Both Zhang and the Chinese skating association have yet to respond to the news about the Liu brothers. However, the brothers were spotted in August training at the Chinese national team's base in Beijing following Zhang's move home.

"MOKSZ has recently provided the conditions for the Liu brothers to train with the Chinese national team and Lina in Beijing," the Hungarian association's statement said.

Under the guidance of Zhang, the Liu brothers led the Hungarian men's team to its first short-track Olympic gold medal when they triumphed in the 5,000m relay final at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games in South Korea.

Liu Shaoang continued his golden momentum by winning the men's 500m title at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.

Zhang, who skated for China at the 1994 Winter Olympics, is currently overseas with Team China as it competes in the International Skating Union's World Cup series.

A decision on the brothers' requests will be made at the Hungarian association's next board meeting, the MOKSZ statement added.

According to ISU rules, the Liu brothers must take a 12-month break from international competitions should their requests be granted by their original country's association before they can compete again for a new country.

The wait would be extended to three seasons, similar to the case involving former South Korean skater Lim Hyo-jun who now represents China as Lin Xiaojun, if the athlete's original country opposes the switch.

Lin, who won the men's 1,500m gold medal at Pyeongchang 2018, was ineligible to race at the Beijing Olympics in February because he had not spent sufficient time with his adopted national program prior to the event.

The Liu brothers' potential nationality change went viral on Chinese social media on Wednesday. Most fans were abuzz at the news given that the pair would instantly raise the level of the national program.

Not everyone was so enthused, however, with some netizens concerned over the possible negative impact on China's talent cultivation system.