PARIS, France — It’s been an exciting Olympics so far with Team USA winning a handful of medals already.
Getting a chance to play in the Olympic games to represent your country is one of the highest honors an athlete can receive, but some people were commenting on the WCNC Charlotte Facebook page, asking us how professional players like Steph Curry can compete in the games.
OUR SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
Originally the Olympics were restricted to amateur athletes only.
However, around the 1970s, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) relaxed its policies, allowing professional athletes to compete in most sports. And by the 1988 games, the IOC made all professional athletes eligible to compete in the Olympics.
Professional athletes still have to follow rules set up by the IOC, like being citizens of the country they represent and adhering to the anti-doping regulations.
The IOC says letting professional players compete in games helps attract the world's biggest stars and improves the Olympics' commercial prospects. And we certainly see that happening now with millions tuning in to watch stars like Lebron James, Steph Curry and Coco Gauff.
WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make sure the community has the correct information on news that impacts them. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.