MagicMax96

"Training"

His parents are both Eritrean, so I would definitely consider him to be Eritrean as well, even if he wasn’t born and raised there. It might seem odd, but this situation is really pretty unremarkable compared to the type of nationality switching that occasionally goes on at the Olympics. Look up Qatar and their use of East African distance runners, for example. It’s also incredibly common for soccer players who were born and raised in European countries like France or Germany to represent the countries their parents are from, so this situation is hardly unique.

There is a so-called minimum performance standard, which means that random people from countries without Winter Olympic hopes can’t just compete if they aren’t already really good. This article sums it up pretty nicely.

Relevant quote from the article:

“The rule that would usually close off the field to all but the top competitors is known colloquially as the "Eddie 'The Eagle' Rule," named after the beloved, but clumsy skier who competed in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics as he was the only U.K. ski jumper who applied. Abeda is no slouch (sorry Eddie) — he still had to obtain the minimum ranking to meet the Olympic standard — but the quota allows Eritrea's National Olympic Committee to make their Winter Olympic debut.”

His coach apparently also thinks he has a shot at making a final (not sure in what event, but I believe somebody commented that Abeda competes primarily in the slalom and giant slalom, though I could be wrong), so it seems like he should certainly be competitive.

This is going to be a little complicated, but it gives you the best chance at winning a bracket pool. The strategy is basically to pick teams that are "undervalued" by the general public. Look for teams whose chance of getting to a certain round in the tournament is significantly higher according to FiveThirtyEight or some other objective model than it is according to the people who make brackets on ESPN. Pick these teams. Avoid teams that a lot of people pick but aren't that good according to the models. Additionally, avoid teams that are particularly popular among people in your bracket pool. For example, if you live in Kentucky, and you're in a pool with your coworkers, pick Kentucky to lose earlier than you normally would.