http://boxscorenews.com/youth-olympics-bring-ancestry-into-focus-for-eritrean-alpine-skier-p30688-68.htm
Youth Olympics bring ancestry into focus for Eritrean Alpine Skier
Shannon Abeda, Alpine skier from Eritrea shows off his ski jacket at
Patscherkofel today - photo courtesy Winter Youth Olympics.
Winter Youth Olympic Games
January 11, 2012
INNSBRUCK - Canadian-based Shannon ABEDA is skiing for Eritrea at the
inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games, in what is the culmination of a
story of survival that started almost 40 years ago in a Sudanese
refugee camp.
The 15-year-old Alpine Skier is Eritrea's sole representative at the
Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, and the chance to ski for
his ancestral home has opened a whole new chapter in ABEDA's life.
"It feels really good [to ski for Eritrea]," he said. "It helps me
explore who I am. I'm really proud of my heritage. There are a lot of
stories about my family, how they came to Canada, and how it all leads
up to this day."
The story began when ABEDA's father, Walday, left Eritrea during a
time of regional war and conflict in the mid 1970s, escaping to a
Sudanese refugee camp. At the age of 15, Walday moved to Saudi Arabia
and then on to Canada to forge a new life.
For Shannon ABEDA, this meant a very different upbringing to his
father. He is a dual citizen of Canada and Eritrea and started skiing
at the age of three.
He carved his first turns at Sunshine Village and now trains at
Nikiska, host mountain for Alpine events at the Calgary 1988 Winter
Olympic Games.
ABEDA, who lives in Calgary, quickly embraced the sport and now holds
World Cup legends Ivica KOSTELIC (CRO), Didier CUCHE (SUI) and Bode
MILLER (USA) among his many Alpine Skiing idols.
While ABEDA is hoping to sharpen his technical skills on the Slalom
and Giant Slalom courses in Innsbruck, he is setting himself high
standards for the Super G on Saturday, January 14 and Super Combined
on Sunday, January 15.
"My hope is that, in the speed events, I can medal or get some good
results so I can get some good points to take back to Canada," he
said.
The sporting competition will, however, provide only a portion of what
ABEDA will take away from the Games. He has already reconnected with
family members from all around the world who have contacted him after
seeing his story in the Eritrean national media.
"I'm still meeting relatives I've never met before, and my family is
really large," he said. "The other day I stopped in Frankfurt and met
an uncle who I had never met, and I'm getting all sorts of phone calls
from all over as well."
ABEDA refuses to look too far into what his sporting future may hold,
and is instead revelling in the cultural aspects of the here and now.
"This is one of my first international events so I hope to make new
friends and get to know a European slope, and make the most of it."
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Received on Thu Jan 12 2012 - 11:18:51 EST
