{"id":23838,"date":"2016-08-23T18:28:49","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T18:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adoption-2020.local\/adopted-athletes-who-have-competed-in-the-olympics\/"},"modified":"2021-03-16T14:09:45","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T21:09:45","slug":"adopted-athletes-who-have-competed-in-the-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adoptionnetwork.com\/adopted-athletes-who-have-competed-in-the-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Adopted Athletes Who Have Competed in the Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Adoption is much more common than you think, but due to the lack of representation in most media forms, save for shock value, adoption is still viewed as highly rare. Most people only have experience with families where the parents and children are biologically related, so it makes some sense that the idea of adoption is still viewed as some rather uncommon, though this is far from the truth. In fact, some very high profile people have been touched by adoption, either by adopting children themselves, or having been adopted. Whether these are actors, artists, or even athletes, people from all walks of life, even those in the media spotlight, have ties to adoption. With the 2016 Olympic Games ending in Rio, Brazil, it\u2019s time to shed some light on Olympians, past and present, who have been adopted or participated in adoption. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Notable Olympians Who Were Adopted: Past and Present<\/span><\/p>\n

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Just four years ago during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Reese Hoffa, competing for Team USA in Shot Put was one to join the ranks of adopted Olympians. A winner of the Bronze Medal at the last Summer Olympics, many fans and watchers were unaware of his <\/span>journey<\/span><\/a> from an orphan to a full-fledged Olympian. Hoffa is not unique, however, as far as adopted Olympians go. In fact, over the span of the last few decades, there have been various Olympians who come from backgrounds where adoption was a prominent and important aspect of their life.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Some Olympians, like British Gold Medalist Tessa Sanderson, along with her former British Olympian husband, Densign White, have <\/span>participated in adoption<\/span><\/a>. Sanderson and White, at ages 58 and 52 respectively, adopted twin babies born eight weeks prematurely in 2014. Sanderson has been widely outspoken in recent months as she\u2019s introduced her twins to the world through different media outlets, saying that the twins are her and her husband\u2019s \u201cworld.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

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By these two simple examples, anyone can see that adoption is more common than it is not, and should be viewed as a beautiful and heart-warming experience. The following individuals, though they came from muddled or difficult background and childhoods, are living proof that parents and children do not have to be blood to be family. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Adopted Olympians<\/span><\/p>\n

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