Ghana at the 2010 Winter Olympics | |
---|---|
IOC code | GHA |
NOC | Ghana Olympic Committee |
in Vancouver | |
Competitors | 1 in 1 sport |
Flag bearer | Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong |
Medals |
|
Winter Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Ghana competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The country's participation at the Games marked its Winter Olympics debut, although it had competed at the Summer Olympics since 1952. The delegation for the 2010 Winter Games consisted of a single alpine skier, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, also known as the "Snow leopard". He was also the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations. Nkrumah-Acheampong did not win any medals, finishing behind his fellow African, Samir Azzimani of Morocco.
Ghana first participated in a Summer Olympic Games as the Gold Coast at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland. They participated on 12 occasions prior to 2010, winning four medals along the way; three in boxing and a bronze medal in 1992 for the football team. [1] In 2010, the nation made their Winter Olympics debut in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [1] They sent a single alpine skier Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, who was also selected to be the flag bearer in the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony. [2]
The sole Ghanaian athlete at the Games, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, competed in the men's slalom. [3] Known as the "Snow leopard", [1] [4] Nkrumah-Acheampong was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Accra, Ghana. [5] He moved to England in 2000, and learnt to ski at the ski slope in Milton Keynes after being hired as a receptionist there. [4] [5] He joined the international skiing circuit in 2005, becoming the first black African to do so. [6]
In 2009, he qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics, scoring 137.5 International Ski Federation points, within the required range of 120–140 points. [4] He previously attempted to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics. [5] Nkrumah-Acheampong was one of three African skiers at the 2010 Winter Games, alongside Samir Azzimani of Morocco, and Leyti Seck of Senegal. [7]
Nkrumah-Acheampong only received partial funding from the Ghana Olympic Committee, allowing him to travel to Vancouver, but not covering the travel costs of his support team. When bookmaker Paddy Power discovered the situation, they paid for his manager, coach and physiotherapist to travel to Canada to help his preparation for the Olympics. [6] Nkrumah-Acheampong also sought individual sponsorship for the spots on his leopard spotted ski race suit. [8]
He said "Some people were sceptical, others just did not believe that it was possible to train in such a short period of time and try and qualify, but I think now I can stand up and say it's possible." [5] He was listed by Time as one of the 25 Winter Olympians to watch during the games, and he was placed as a 500–1 shot for the gold medal. [9] In the slalom, Nkrumah-Acheampong registered times of 1:09:08 and 1:13:52 in his two runs, resulting in a final position of 47th overall. [3] This was one place behind Azzimani of Morocco. [10]
Athlete | Event | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong | Men's slalom | 1:09.08 | 53 | 1:13.52 | 48 | 2:22.60 | 47 |
San Marino sent a delegation to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics, in Turin, Italy from 10–26 February 2006. This was the nation's seventh appearance at a Winter Olympic Games. The delegation consisted of a single athlete, alpine skier Marino Cardelli. In his race, the giant slalom, he failed to finish the competition.
Several tropical nations have participated in the Winter Olympics despite not having the climate for winter sports. Partly because of that, their entries are a subject of human interest stories during the Games. No tropical nation has ever won a Winter Olympic medal.
Ghana first participated at the Olympic Games in 1952, when it was known by the colonial name of Gold Coast. The nation has sent athletes to compete in most Summer Olympic Games since then, missing the 1956 Games, boycotting the 1976 Games in protest of the participation of New Zealand, and joining the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. Ghana participated in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time in Vancouver in 2010.
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, nicknamed "The Snow Leopard", is a Ghanaian skier and is the first person from Ghana to take part in the Winter Olympics, which he did at the 2010 Winter Olympics Vancouver, British Columbia. taking part in the slalom. He finished 53rd out of 102 participants, of whom 54 finished.
The Cayman Islands sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, held between 12–28 February 2010. The territory made its debut at the Winter Olympics, sending one athlete, alpine skier Dow Travers. Travers entered the men's giant slalom and finished in 69th place.
Senegal participated at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The country's participation at the Games marked its fifth at the Winter Olympic Games. As in 2006 Olympics, Senegal's sole athlete was Leyti Seck, an alpine skier. He was also the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations. Seck did not win any medals, although he finished ahead of fellow African Samir Azzimani of Morocco in the giant slalom.
Lebanon sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12–28 February 2010. This was Lebanon's 15th appearance at a Winter Olympic Games. The Lebanese team consisted of three alpine skiers. Lebanon has never won a medal at a Winter Olympics, and their best performance in Vancouver was 37th in the women's super-G by Chirine Njeim; Ghassan Achi failed to post a result in either of his races, and Jacky Chamoun finished 54th in her only race.
Azerbaijan sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12–28 February 2010. This was Azerbaijan's fourth Olympic Winter Games, having appeared in each Winter Games since 1998 in Nagano. The Azerbaijani delegation consisted of two alpine skiers, Gaia Bassani Antivari and Jedrij Notz. The nation's best finish was by Antivari, 57th place in the women's giant slalom.
Peru sent a delegation to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12–28 February 2010. This marked Peru's debut at the Winter Olympics. The Peruvian delegation consisted of three athletes: two alpine skiers—Manfred Oettl Reyes and Ornella Oettl Reyes—and the cross-country skier Roberto Carcelen. The nation's best performance in any event was 67th place in the men's giant slalom alpine skiing event by Manfred Oettl Reyes.
Morocco competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The country's participation at Vancouver marked its fifth appearance at a Winter Olympics since its debut in 1968; no athlete had won any medals. The 2010 delegation consisted of a single athlete competing in alpine skiing, Samir Azzimani, who was also the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations. Azzimani brought a group of schoolchildren from a suburb of Metz, France, which had seen rioting in January that year. Azzimani was one of three African skiers at the Games, and did not win any medals.
Kyrgyzstan sent a delegation to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12–28 February 2010. The Kyrgyzstani delegation consisted of two athletes, alpine skier Dmitry Trelevski and cross-country skier Olga Reshetkova. The best performance in any event by the delegation was Reshetkova's 54th place in the women's sprint.
Tajikistan sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12–28 February 2010. The nation was participating in its third Winter Olympic Games. The Tajikistani delegation consisted of a single athlete: alpine skier Andrei Drygin. Drygin's best finish in any of his events was 44th in the super-G.
Armenia sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12 to 28 February 2010. This marked the nation's fifth appearance at a Winter Olympics as an independent country. The Armenian delegation consisted of four athletes, two in alpine skiing and two in cross-country skiing. The team's best finish in any event was a 70th place mark by Sergey Mikayelyan in the men's 15 kilometre freestyle cross-country event.
Cyprus sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, held between 12–28 February 2010. The national delegation consisted of two athletes, alpine skiers Christopher Papamichalopoulos and Sophia Papamichalopoulou. Papamichalopoulou finished 53rd in the women's slalom, the best finish for Cyprus at these Olympics.
Macedonia sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12–28 February 2010. The Macedonian delegation consisted of three athletes, alpine skier Antonio Ristevski and two cross-country skiers, Rosana Kiroska and Darko Damjanovski. The nation's best finish was by Ristevski in the men's giant slalom, where he placed 53rd.
South Africa sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 12–28 February 2010. The South African team consisted of two athletes in two sports: alpine skier Peter Scott and cross-country skier Oliver Kraas. Neither of the South African athletes won a medal.
Samir Azzimani is a Moroccan French Alpine and Nordic skier who competed for Morocco in the 2010 Winter Olympics. and at the 2015 Nordic ski World Championships in Falun, Sweden. He qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea for cross-country skiing competition.
Hossein Saveh Shemshaki is an alpine skier from Iran. He, along with his brother, Pouria Saveh-Shemshaki, competed for Iran at the 2010 Winter Olympics. His best result was in Winter Olympics games is 41st place in the slalom.
Ghana is a country with a rich heritage in sports.
Morocco competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The country's participation at Vancouver marked its sixth appearance at a Winter Olympics since its debut at the 1968 Games; no athlete has ever won any medals. The 2010 delegation consisted of two athletes competing in alpine skiing, Adam Lamhamedi and Kenza Tazi, who were accompanied by Adam's brother Sami and four officials. Adam Lamhamedi was also the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations, and at the closing ceremony. Neither skier finished on a medal podium.