Kristi Yamaguchi was a guest at the White House state dinner for the prime minister of Japan, Kishida Fumio. Scroll down a bit here. She and her dress look absolutely beautiful! Kristi Yamaguchi at White House state dinner
Kristi Yamaguchi at White House State Dinner
- Thread starter Oreo
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Maia & Alex Shibutani were there as well.
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stunning ! both of them !Maia & Alex Shibutani were there as well.
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The WaPo article was behind a paywall for me, but this was not: (I do not know how to attach the photo of Kristi in the article so it is bigger)
www.mercurynews.com
Which Bay Area names are on the invite list for the U.S.-Japan state dinner?
Guests will dine on a menu inspired by spring, with a California roll made with house-cured salmon, dry-aged beef with morel mushrooms, and salted caramel pistachio cake and cherry ice cream.
www.mercurynews.com
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I think I've heard that name as someone from IMG (sports management company)?
Who is Yukiko Saegusa?
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She's SVP of IMG last I knew.
Who is Yukiko Saegusa?
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This is not the first time that Kristi 
was called upon by a U.S. President to grace adorn, and represent at a State Dinner at the White House. In 2006 she was an invited guest at a shindig honoring then-Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi, hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush. Other guests were U.S.-Japanese pairs skater Rene Inoue and her partner John Baldwin (fresh from the 2006 Olympics where they landed the first throw triple Axel in competition), as well as speed skater Apolo Ohno.
A week earlier Michelle Kwan was tapped by President Bush for a State Luncheon with President Hu Jintau of China. At that time the U.S. was enjoying pretty good political relations with Japan, so the Japanese Prime Minister rated a State Dinner. China did not have the same most-favored-nation designation, so official big-wig protocols called for only a Luncheon (but Michelle got to sit at the head table with the two heads of state
)
Added in proof
This got me to wondering what other figure skaters rated attention by U.S. Presidents over the years. Here is Peggy Fleming being pinned with a magnolia blossom by President Lynden Johson (but alas, Flanders is not a country, so no State Dinner for Peggy).
And here is Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut meeting President Richard Nixon, who told her that she had done morte to thaw out the cold war than all the embassies in the world.
(To bring Korbut into 2024 figure skating relevance, she did a backflip on the balance beam at the 1972 Olympics that was immediately outlawed by international gymnastics for being too dangerous.)
was called upon by a U.S. President to grace adorn, and represent at a State Dinner at the White House. In 2006 she was an invited guest at a shindig honoring then-Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi, hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush. Other guests were U.S.-Japanese pairs skater Rene Inoue and her partner John Baldwin (fresh from the 2006 Olympics where they landed the first throw triple Axel in competition), as well as speed skater Apolo Ohno.A week earlier Michelle Kwan was tapped by President Bush for a State Luncheon with President Hu Jintau of China. At that time the U.S. was enjoying pretty good political relations with Japan, so the Japanese Prime Minister rated a State Dinner. China did not have the same most-favored-nation designation, so official big-wig protocols called for only a Luncheon (but Michelle got to sit at the head table with the two heads of state
)Added in proof
This got me to wondering what other figure skaters rated attention by U.S. Presidents over the years. Here is Peggy Fleming being pinned with a magnolia blossom by President Lynden Johson (but alas, Flanders is not a country, so no State Dinner for Peggy).And here is Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut
meeting President Richard Nixon, who told her that she had done morte to thaw out the cold war than all the embassies in the world.(To bring Korbut into 2024 figure skating relevance, she did a backflip on the balance beam at the 1972 Olympics that was immediately outlawed by international gymnastics for being too dangerous.)
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Michelle Kwan did go to a couple of state dinners. I like how the title only mention Kristi Yamaguchi and excluded the Shibutanis .
It like only OGm are rated to state but as mention Kristi Yamaguchi agent is there so she would push Kristi .
It like only OGm are rated to state but as mention Kristi Yamaguchi agent is there so she would push Kristi .
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And she is Kristi Yamaguchi agent through IMG
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I take it that we all into Alex Shibutani as a blond! 
As for Michelle Kwan, the current U.S. President Joe Biden had quite a few official interactions with her when he was Vice President, mixing business with pleasure. This was mostly in connection with Michelle serving as a "sports ambassador" on behalf of the Department of State, her service to the Special Olympics, her position on the President's Council for Fitness and Sports, etc.
Not to get too political, but the U.S. has always had a love/hate relationship with immigrant families. On the plus side, we are always eager, when a visiting head of state comes calling, to trot out examples of successful, accomplished (and beautiful doesn't hurt, nor does rich) Americans with roots in the country of the visiting honoree.
As for Michelle Kwan, the current U.S. President Joe Biden had quite a few official interactions with her when he was Vice President, mixing business with pleasure. This was mostly in connection with Michelle serving as a "sports ambassador" on behalf of the Department of State, her service to the Special Olympics, her position on the President's Council for Fitness and Sports, etc.
Not to get too political, but the U.S. has always had a love/hate relationship with immigrant families. On the plus side, we are always eager, when a visiting head of state comes calling, to trot out examples of successful, accomplished (and beautiful doesn't hurt, nor does rich) Americans with roots in the country of the visiting honoree.
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OK, so in looking up stuff about this I found out that the Prime Minister of Japan from 1964 to 1972 represented Yamaguchi Prefecture (2nd district). This was Eisaku Sato, but as far as I could determine he was not related to the family of world ice skating champion Yuka Sato.
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- Jan 9, 2017
Aware, as she's many other skaters agent as well. I figured that goes unsaid from my post and her position in the company.
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Sato is seriously the most common family name in Japan, trying to determine familiar relationships might not be an easy task, to say the least.
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I wonder what the dynamics are. Does the agent pull out all her agently skills to get a White House invitation for her client Kristi, and then Kristi decides to bring the agent along when Bret decides he doesn't want to go? Does the agent smooze up to the President and say, you can have Kristi Yamaguchi, but you have to invite me as well? If the President decides to invite a famous Olympic Gold Medalist to dinner, is the athlete under contractual obligation to say, "I'll have to check with my agent to see if I'm free that day"?
Or does does the White House staff call up the agency and say, the Japanese Prime Minister is coming to town -- who have you got on tap that he might want to meet?
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Thank you, thank you.
You never know if you don't ask! I once wondered if Evgenia Medvedeva was related to the former President of Russia, Dmitri Medvedev (his Prime Minister was the up-and-comer Vladimir Putin). Our Russian friends on GS told me no, this name ("Bear") is common in Russia and it's not Evgenia's real name anyway -- she took on the name of her maternal grandmother.
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