Yanqing, China Feb 14 (BUS): In a sport dominated by Europeans and North Americans, the giant Alpine Olympic slalom has a way of attracting competitors known to the rink as “exotics”, from countries with little or no winters. . Sports traditions.
One well-known example was violinist Vanessa May, who competed for Thailand at the 2014 Sochi Games where she placed 67th.
This year, skaters representing Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, East Timor, India, Mexico, Jamaica, Ghana, Puerto Rico, Eritrea, Madagascar and Israel all took part in the giant Olympic slalom, Reuters reports.
While some openly admitted their goal was to expand diversity or simply soak up the atmosphere of the Olympics, others came because they wanted to compete.
Ghanaian national Carlos Maider, 43, is one of 33 skaters who failed to finish the first leg of Sunday’s men’s giant slalom.
Maider, who was adopted by a couple in Switzerland who said he could ski before he could walk, espouses the term “alien species.” “Ghana does not stop at the border,” he added.
Scholarships and personal wealth can help pay for the training and travel needed to qualify for the Olympics. Some contestants estimated the cost of preparing for the games at around $70,000.
“I’m still a singles show,” Maider said. “I didn’t have like a union in the back or like a personal trainer, so there was a lot of work to do.”
Faeq Abdi, Saudi Arabia’s first winter Olympic athlete, learned to ski at the age of four on holidays in Lebanon, but started racing less than a year ago. He said he was indifferent about being labeled an “alien species.”
“It’s strange but also delicate for us in this sport,” said Abdi, who came 44th out of 46. “We need to start raising children and the next generation from a very young age.”
Abdi, who has lived in Saudi Arabia, the United States and Europe, said that even if he didn’t finish but skied at his best, it would be satisfying enough.
“The more diverse the sport or any sport, the better. This is the beginning not only for Saudi Arabia but for many countries and we hope in the future we will see more countries and teams competing,” Abdi said.
Nicola Zanon of Thailand, who finished 38th, 29.01 seconds behind Swiss giant slalom winner Marco Odermatt, admitted that there was still a lot of work to be done for countries like his to move up the world rankings, but this finish was a signal. a task.
“I ran a safe run because my federation wants to complete the race, and that’s our goal,” he said.
Mexican Rodolfo Dixon Somers, who ranked 35th, said a lot of “exotics” – a term he felt correctly identify them as unique to the sport – could technically go faster than they often did in the sport. races.
“It’s good to pass at the end,” he laughed.
On the other side of the fence, giant slalom gold medalist Odermatt received a message of encouragement for his more tropical competitors.
“Maybe it won’t be easy if you don’t have snow but in the end, if you have a dream, you just have to work for it, try everything, take what you get, and try your best in every situation,” Udermatt said.