The Top 10 Funniest Names at the Sochi Olympics

• By Sam Parton
• In Blog
• Feb 10, 2014

The Top 10 Funniest Names at the Sochi Olympics

Yes perhaps it is immature, not clever and 'mean' to the individuals concerned, but a handful of Olympians have really stood out at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The following list of funny names at the Sochi Olympics hail from all corners of the globe, battling it out across a broad range of sports, winning fans over in the process.

1. Satoshi Sakashita

Sakashita which is pronounced 'Sack-a-shit-ter' is considered Japan's 'David Beckham' of short track ice skating. Sakashita surely deserves the crown for the best name in the Sochi Olympics.

2. Semen Elistratov

Semen is effectively called Simon in his native Russia, so certainly shouldn't be laughed at it any way. Like Sackashita he is a short track skater and considered a real medal contender. Many think that Semen could be the answer to Russia's high demands for medals.

3. Jayson Terdiman

The pint-sized Terdiman (pronounced 'Turdy-man') competes in the terrifying luge and represents the US of A. It's also worth highlighting his differentiation on the name 'Jason' which is very clever - why don't people do that with 'Dayvid'?

4. Andreas Wank

Wank is a world class German ski jumper and his surname should be pronounced 'Vanque' and certainly not in any other way. He has a personal best of an impressive 216m.

5. Jakov Faki

Pronounced 'Yakov' the Slovenian Faki (pronounced 'Far-key') competes in the biathlon which is a particularly tough endurance sport.

6. Jenni Asserholt

Asserholt is from 'Sveden' home to Ulrika Jonsson and Sven-Goran Eriksson. She represents a typical imagination of a Swedish woman - blonde and beautiful adding much needed glamour to ice hockey. Even better is her excellent surname.

7. Luca Cunti

A formidable ice hockey player for his native Switzerland, the tall and strong Cunti will hopefully propel the Swiss into the later rounds of the highly competitive ice hockey.

8. Otgontsetseg Chinbat

Chinbat hails from deepest Mongolia (to the West of China) and makes this list for two reasons. Firstly because her surname is truly brilliant and secondly because how on earth is the commentator going to ever prononce her first name? Well done Mongolia.

9. Rosallind Groenwoud

Considered a 'rising' star' in the world of freestyle skiing, Groenwoud's name is definitely pronounced 'Growinwood' in her native Canada.

10. Seraina Boner

Swiss boner is a cross-country skier and considered the Martina Hingis of Switzerland's ski team. She's the oldest in this particular list but widely respected for her endurance, strength and ability to remain focused for several hours.



By Sam Parton

Sam is co-founder of OpenPlay which provides online booking software for sports clubs