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One of the most successful StarCraft 2 players of all time is now officially recognized as an athlete by the United States government.
Choi "P0lt" Seong Hun, a 25 year old South Korean who is the number three ranked player in the world according to Aligulac rankings, was just granted a P-1A visa, a document reserved for “internationally recognized athletes.”
Fellow-StarCraft pro Kim “Violet” Dong Hwan became the first ever StarCraft 2 player granted such a visa in December.
Both players are represented by Cyber Solutions Agency, which put the majority of legwork into securing the visas. Both took about six months to procure. The CSA produced 500 pages of paperwork and spent $5,000 on lawyers’ and immigration fees for each application.
Kim and Choi’s visas are symbolic of eSports' movement towards mainstream acceptance, even as they also demonstrate the serious roadblocks still facing the industry. In the comments section of every article covering Kim's visa, discussion focused largely on the semantic question of whether eSports players should be considered “athletes.”
You can read the entire article here : http://www.dailydot.com/esports/choi-polt-song-hyuen-athletes-visa-united-states-starcraft/
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Awesome! More and more cases.
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4713 Posts
Awesome, this is a big, big step forward for eSports, and of course a great one for Polt. I guess he wants to remain in the US and compete.
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United Kingdom31935 Posts
SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK POLTUUUUUUUUUUUUU
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As Washington intended when he defeated with British with superior micro and highground advantage. The forefathers cry tears of joy over our newest profession cyber general.
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That's great. As I remember Polt and violet share a same agent or manager?
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On January 09 2014 02:40 lystier wrote:
That's great. As I remember Polt and violet share a same agent or manager?
They are both with CSA.
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On January 09 2014 02:40 lystier wrote:
That's great. As I remember Polt and violet share a same agent or manager?
He is represented by CSA - Cyber Solutions Agency.
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Makes sense, once a precedent is set it will probably be upheld.
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China6329 Posts
Damn that a huge win for him and Starcraft.
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Germany25657 Posts
Nice 
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great news, going continue his dominance in the Americas!, sorry Violet you will only be able to finish third behind Polt and JD...
btw anyone have an idea or heard some rumors of who might be next to get an athletes visa?
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Canada16217 Posts
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That's pretty cool. E-sport is becoming more legit, at least in the US. That's at least one good news amidst the sea of sad news in the SC2 world.
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small step for polt, giant step for Esports.
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viOlet vs Polt WCS America finals please
imagine if you got 2 Koreans and both could be interviewed in English
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This is great news glad both Polt and Violet are able to continue playing in the US with no issues now
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On January 09 2014 03:06 Ej_ wrote:
viOlet vs Polt WCS America finals please
imagine if you got 2 Koreans and both could be interviewed in English JD has great English...
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Violet and Polt. My two favorite Americans!
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On January 09 2014 03:08 mikumegurine wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 03:06 Ej_ wrote:
viOlet vs Polt WCS America finals please
imagine if you got 2 Koreans and both could be interviewed in English JD has great English...
He can be a little shy about it though 
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TEAM POLLLTTTTT
been too long since I last heard any news about him, I hope his presence in the scene is as big in 2014 as it has been in literally every year of SC2!
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On January 09 2014 03:19 slowbacontron wrote:
TEAM POLLLTTTTT
been too long since I last heard any news about him, I hope his presence in the scene is as big in 2014 as it has been in literally every year of SC2!
I'd say Polt was one of the most successful Terrans of 2013, winning back to back WCS AM seasons and an MLG. 3 premier in a year ain't bad.
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This made me laugh with giddiness. On the surface, its almost a little silly, but it makes a lot of sense to be able to get an athletic visa into the US
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I know I don't think there is a single person that doesn't love polt I just wish he streamed more
POLT FIGHTING!!!!!!!!
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As expected. :-) Excellent news.
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On January 09 2014 03:26 Pirfiktshon wrote:I know I don't think there is a single person that doesn't love polt I just wish he streamed more POLT FIGHTING!!!!!!!!
Polt is the devil. Nice guy and everything, but he represents everything I hate in terms of playstyle and he's really good at it.
Disclaimer: I've barely watched SC2 since HotS.
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On January 09 2014 03:01 mikumegurine wrote:
great news, going continue his dominance in the Americas!, sorry Violet you will only be able to finish third behind Polt and JD...
btw anyone have an idea or heard some rumors of who might be next to get an athletes visa?
I don't see other players getting an athlete's visa unless they too are represented by CSA.
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On January 09 2014 03:28 FuzzyJAM wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 03:26 Pirfiktshon wrote:I know I don't think there is a single person that doesn't love polt I just wish he streamed more POLT FIGHTING!!!!!!!! Polt is the devil. Nice guy and everything, but he represents everything I hate in terms of playstyle and he's really good at it.Disclaimer: I've barely watched SC2 since HotS.
His playstyle is about making plays and being strategic instead of trying to win over people by pure macro and you hate that ?
You're weird.
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not sure if Nani feels the same way about Polt, after all Polt did do a thumbs down to Nani in front of a huge live audience
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On January 09 2014 02:26 Plansix wrote:
As Washington intended when he defeated with British with superior micro and highground advantage. The forefathers cry tears of joy over our newest profession cyber general.
Washington had Stephano helping harrass the Brits too.
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The Feds watch everyone... Even you.
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The question now is how TB will be able to keep Violet and Polt out of shoutcraft =/
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we're on our way... I can see a sc2 daily (sic!) show on ESPN 34 in the future
very good for Polt.
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United Kingdom31935 Posts
Now for Bomber to get on CMStorm to pick up Violet and Bomber and Team Polt is born
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On January 09 2014 03:47 Noonius wrote:we're on our way... I can see a sc2 daily ( sic!) show on ESPN 34 in the future very good for Polt.
youll see LoL before sc2. Sorry to burst a bubble. SC2 not as marketable.
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On January 09 2014 03:46 Ruin wrote:
The question now is how TB will be able to keep Violet and Polt out of shoutcraft =/
I wouldn't worry, I hear there is another North American SC2 event being announce every soon that they can compete in. Plenty of events to go around.
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Old news, was posted already 1/2 months ago. Still quite the step for eSports
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A very deserving member of the esports community to obtain this visa! Much props to the CSA for their hard work too!
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East Gorteau22261 Posts
On January 09 2014 04:14 MadJack wrote:
Old news, was posted already 1/2 months ago. Still quite the step for eSports
Sure you're not thinking of Violet?
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On January 09 2014 04:14 MadJack wrote:
Old news, was posted already 1/2 months ago. Still quite the step for eSports
It was  viOLet.
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That's one small step for Polt, another small step for eSports.
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Why does Polt need this? Did he graduate college already?
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On January 09 2014 04:18 Butterednuts wrote:
That's one small step for Polt, another small step for eSports.
At least it is a step in the right direction though. I'm happy for Polt, however the part about the 500 pages and $5,000 is a little unsettling. Hopefully this will become more accessible in the future for players who aren't as fortunate as Polt or viOlet and have to go through this process on their own or with a less helpful agent.
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On January 09 2014 04:37 strongandbig wrote:
Why does Polt need this? Did he graduate college already?
Here are some quotes from Reddit about it (I can't confirm or deny accuracy since I have no knowledge on the subject):
xSixZax:
his P-1A visa allows him to live and compete in the US without having to attend university full time. He will be able to dedicate all of his time to his professional career now.
DrowsyOne:
As someone else mentioned, there are limits on employment. For example, you may not be allowed to work full time or may have limits on earnings. Another is that I believe that you are not allowed to stay in the US during the summer season (while school is not in session) while on a Student Visa. So for example, if he only had a student visa and WCS NA takes place during the summer while he is forced to leave the US (and is probably in Korea) then he would be unable to compete.
xSixZax:
Polt had no restrictions of travel on the student visa. What hindered him was the minimum of full time credits per semester to retain the visa for another semester and the required attendance percentage he had to stay over. There was one time late last year where he had to choose to compete in either a European tournament or WCS America finals because he would have fallen below the accepted attendance requirement if he attended both.
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Also, in regard to the student vs athlete visa; here is an excerpt from a NPR article on viOlet:
Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/12/15/250793493/u-s-recognizes-a-south-korean-starcraft-player-as-an-athlete
"Kim applied for a student visa and was denied; Tomlinson says it's hard to get unless the gamer goes to one of the best universities in South Korea. Choi Seong-hun is another StarCraft II player that Tomlinson manages, and Choi (aka "Polt") got a student visa to go to the University of Texas at Austin. He is ranked fourth worldwide and has earned $245,670 in prize money."
This could mean that we will be seeing many more South Korean players coming to the US, since now they are not necessarily restricted by the level of the university they attended back home.
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My main man!
So happy to hear that.
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The CSA produced 500 pages of paperwork and spent $5,000 on lawyers’ and immigration fees for each application.
Holy shit, that's a lot of work hours that shouldn't be necessary ><
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Wow, this is really great both for Polt and for eSports!
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All pro-gamers should be regocnized as athletes automatically, pathetic that US government are needed for judging that
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United States23455 Posts
On January 09 2014 05:33 shabby wrote:Show nested quote +The CSA produced 500 pages of paperwork and spent $5,000 on lawyers’ and immigration fees for each application. Holy shit, that's a lot of work hours that shouldn't be necessary ><
Pretty tame for any legal work in the US.
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Meanwhile Riot made all the LCS players get this Visa.
Blizzard should move to make the WCS players get this Visa too.
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Maybe "Athlete" isn't the right word it confuses people, "Professional Gamer" is probly a more accurate label.
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United States23455 Posts
On January 09 2014 06:27 IncubusSC wrote:
Maybe "Athlete" isn't the right word it confuses people, "Professional Gamer" is probly a more accurate label.
But the government didn't recognize him as a "Professional Gamer" because that has no legal meaning in the US. They recognized him as an "athlete".
Sure pro gamer is more accurate, but it doesn't do anything for him.
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Red Bull needs to get one of these for Bomber
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On January 09 2014 05:33 shabby wrote:Show nested quote +The CSA produced 500 pages of paperwork and spent $5,000 on lawyers’ and immigration fees for each application. Holy shit, that's a lot of work hours that shouldn't be necessary ><
I can't be sure, as I'm Canadian, but 500 pages seems like a gross exaggeration. My clients receive $20,000 in legal fees for just the review and adjustment of less than a hundred pages in contracts. It's possible if the 500 pages were gathered by CSA, and by gather I mean print off every single article/report/thread about Polt. There is little precedence, so gathering a lot of evidence is probably a necessary step.
Having said that, I am really impressed with CSA. These are the steps that every organization is skipping, and cause ridiculous and embarrassing problems for progaming in the long run. I hope the CSA continues with its success and keeps growing, providing its success to all progaming organizations in NA and eventually the world.
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On January 09 2014 06:33 Dodgin wrote:
Red Bull needs to get one of these for Bomber
Red Bull still sponsors Bomber? I thought that stopped with him leaving StarTale?
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On January 09 2014 06:46 AmuseD wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 06:33 Dodgin wrote:
Red Bull needs to get one of these for Bomber Red Bull still sponsors Bomber? I thought that stopped with him leaving StarTale?
Red Bull's sponsorship of Startale was mostly a personal sponsorship for Bomber and Life in the first place, they're still supporting him.
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opterown
Australia54784 Posts
On January 09 2014 06:47 Dodgin wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 06:46 AmuseD wrote:On January 09 2014 06:33 Dodgin wrote:
Red Bull needs to get one of these for Bomber Red Bull still sponsors Bomber? I thought that stopped with him leaving StarTale? Red Bull's sponsorship of Startale was mostly a personal sponsorship for Bomber and Life in the first place, they're still supporting him.
for bomber/parting/squirtle, not life
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and cause he is studying, i think this visa is better then a study visa right ? so he has double luck ^^
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On January 09 2014 06:52 opterown wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 06:47 Dodgin wrote:On January 09 2014 06:46 AmuseD wrote:On January 09 2014 06:33 Dodgin wrote:
Red Bull needs to get one of these for Bomber Red Bull still sponsors Bomber? I thought that stopped with him leaving StarTale? Red Bull's sponsorship of Startale was mostly a personal sponsorship for Bomber and Life in the first place, they're still supporting him. for bomber/parting/squirtle, not life
Well this contradicts what I was told but maybe you're right, or it changed over time.
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On January 09 2014 06:28 Darkhoarse wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 06:27 IncubusSC wrote:
Maybe "Athlete" isn't the right word it confuses people, "Professional Gamer" is probly a more accurate label. But the government didn't recognize him as a "Professional Gamer" because that has no legal meaning in the US. They recognized him as an "athlete". Sure pro gamer is more accurate, but it doesn't do anything for him.
I believe that was his point. The term shouldn't be athlete when it encompasses a lot more than that. Chess, poker, gamers, fishing, dressage etc. are all not athletes in the original sense of the word. It should be competitor or something similar. That would avoid every discussion turing into "lol, not athletes"
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opterown
Australia54784 Posts
On January 09 2014 07:04 Dodgin wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 06:52 opterown wrote:On January 09 2014 06:47 Dodgin wrote:On January 09 2014 06:46 AmuseD wrote:On January 09 2014 06:33 Dodgin wrote:
Red Bull needs to get one of these for Bomber Red Bull still sponsors Bomber? I thought that stopped with him leaving StarTale? Red Bull's sponsorship of Startale was mostly a personal sponsorship for Bomber and Life in the first place, they're still supporting him. for bomber/parting/squirtle, not life Well this contradicts what I was told but maybe you're right, or it changed over time.
it was bomber only at first, then
![[image loading]](http://www.gametoc.co.kr/news/photo/201207/2853_5304_552.jpg)
this was before life even joined
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this is great for Polt but probably not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things
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Awesome!
I wonder if this means he'll continue his studies or put those on hold.
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On January 09 2014 06:54 Drake wrote:
and cause he is studying, i think this visa is better then a study visa right ? so he has double luck ^^
Ya that's what I was wondering too. I guess this gives him long-term security since after a study visa you either have to find employment or have to straight up leave the country before re-appling for a visa (depending on what kind of visa you get).
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On January 09 2014 08:21 tili wrote:
Awesome!
I wonder if this means he'll continue his studies or put those on hold.
He obtained this visa so he could suspend his studies and completely focus on his professional career.
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On January 09 2014 09:19 zaxx wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 08:21 tili wrote:
Awesome!
I wonder if this means he'll continue his studies or put those on hold. He obtained this visa so he could suspend his studies and completely focus on his professional career.
Can't fault someone for this when you have the earning potential of Polt!
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"See Mom and Dad, Starcraft IS a sport!"
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On January 09 2014 09:28 yokcounty wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 09:19 zaxx wrote:On January 09 2014 08:21 tili wrote:
Awesome!
I wonder if this means he'll continue his studies or put those on hold. He obtained this visa so he could suspend his studies and completely focus on his professional career. Can't fault someone for this when you have the earning potential of Polt!
Gotta get that WCS America $$$.
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United States97276 Posts
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On January 09 2014 08:59 Wuster wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 06:54 Drake wrote:
and cause he is studying, i think this visa is better then a study visa right ? so he has double luck ^^ Ya that's what I was wondering too. I guess this gives him long-term security since after a study visa you either have to find employment or have to straight up leave the country before re-appling for a visa (depending on what kind of visa you get).
What long term security?
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On January 09 2014 13:23 Elurie wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 08:59 Wuster wrote:On January 09 2014 06:54 Drake wrote:
and cause he is studying, i think this visa is better then a study visa right ? so he has double luck ^^ Ya that's what I was wondering too. I guess this gives him long-term security since after a study visa you either have to find employment or have to straight up leave the country before re-appling for a visa (depending on what kind of visa you get). What long term security?
Long term visa security / travel assurance, cuz like I mentioned student visa's don't transition well into other visas once you finish your designated term of schooling which could limit his ability to travel to the US after he's done with school.
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this is awesome, congratz to Polt
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I'm so excited for Polt. >.< I hope we see him guest-cast more events, too!! He's so passionate and everything he says is spot on. Great work, CSA!! *pom poms*
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viOLet and Polt, Team USA. GOGOGO
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Polts is sc2 icon. Gratz. Also u gotta remember players like Grubby who always advertised himself as athlete. People like him make it all posssible and are changing the minds of bureaucrats.
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United Kingdom31935 Posts
Polts gonna dominate NA so hard this year
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On January 09 2014 07:10 Vorenius wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2014 06:28 Darkhoarse wrote:On January 09 2014 06:27 IncubusSC wrote:
Maybe "Athlete" isn't the right word it confuses people, "Professional Gamer" is probly a more accurate label. But the government didn't recognize him as a "Professional Gamer" because that has no legal meaning in the US. They recognized him as an "athlete". Sure pro gamer is more accurate, but it doesn't do anything for him. I believe that was his point. The term shouldn't be athlete when it encompasses a lot more than that. Chess, poker, gamers, fishing, dressage etc. are all not athletes in the original sense of the word. It should be competitor or something similar. That would avoid every discussion turing into "lol, not athletes"
The original sense of the word athlete -> The word "athlete" is a romanization of the Greek: άθλητὴς, athlētēs, one who participates in a contest; from ἂθλος, áthlos, or ἂθλον, áthlon, a contest or feat.
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EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7z3gmEb.jpg)
