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CNN / The African teams going for Winter Olympic glory

Posted by: Semere Asmelash

Date: Friday, 09 February 2018

The African teams going for Winter Olympic glory


Eritrean flag bearer, Canada-born Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda, is the country&#39;s sole athlete and is competing in Alpine skiing.
Photos: African athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games
Eritrea – Eritrean flag bearer, Canada-born Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda, is the country's sole athlete and is competing in Alpine skiing.

By Ized Uanikhehi, CNN
Updated 1822 GMT (0222 HKT) February 9, 2018

CNN)In this year's Winter Olympics games 12 athletes from eight African countries will be competing.

This brings the overall number of African countries ever to compete in the Winter Olympics to 15, with Nigeria and Eritrea making their debuts.

Winter Olympic first timers

Africa, for a few reasons -- one being the generally warm climate, does not have much participation in winter sports. Out of the 54 countries on the continent only 13 had previously ever made it to the Winter Olympics.

However this year there are more African countries competing than ever before.

Fast, fierce and fearless 01:11

Nigeria is in the Winter Olympics for first time, and its athletes Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga are the first African bobsled team competing in the games.

Nigerian skeleton athlete, Simidele Adeagbo, is the first female skeleton slider from Africa.

Eritrea makes a debut with Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda, an alpine skier. Abeda was born in Canada and is the country's sole athlete.

Read more at:


Image may contain: 2 people, people on stage
A record number of countries are competing in the #PyeongChang2018 Winter Olympics! Welcome #Eritrea

Eight African countries to compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games

By David Kalfa   Posted on 09-02-2018 Edited on 09-02-2018 
South Africa, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria and Togo sent at least one athlete to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games (February 9-25 in Pyeongchang) . In total, twelve athletes will represent the continent in South Korea.
In Pyeongchang, a record number of African countries (eight) will take part in the 23rd Olympic Winter Games. In comparison, they were five representatives from Africa from three states (Morocco, Togo, Zimbabwe), Sochi (Russia) in 2014.
This is even better than in 2010, in Vancouver (Canada), where seven Africans defending the colors of six nations competed, and Turin in 2006 (nine from six countries). But this is not yet the record of African athletes at the 1992 Games in Albertville.
A first for Eritrea and Nigeria
The 2018 Olympics will be a great first for Eritrea and Nigeria. Canadian skier EritreanShannon-Ogbani Abeda will try to shine.
For its part, the Nigerian delegation will have three members thanks to the bobsleigh-skeleton team - two ultra-fast luge sports - made up of Akuoma Omeoga, Moriam Seun Adigun and Simidele Adeagbo. The latter qualified for the Pyeongchang Games have already made the headlines of the world press .
For Ghana, it will be a second appearance after 2010. His champion, Akwasi Frimpong , who grew up in the Netherlands and tried athletics, created himself the Ghana bobsleigh and skeleton Federation. He now dreams of becoming the first African medalist in the history of Winter Olympics.
A 16-year-old Malagasy
For Togo and Alessia Dipol, her globetrotter (Italian born, she also skied for India), it will be the second Games in a row. The flag bearer in 2014, Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean , will also be present.
At 16, Mialitiana Clerc is preparing to discover the Olympic Festival, a few months after having decided to represent the island where she was born, Madagascar. "  You have to enjoy, pursue your dreams and try to achieve them especially, fight because it's very important ," she slips to the address of other athletes of African origin, at the microphone of Christophe Diremszian, sent special RFI in Pyeongchang. That way, it will inspire other athletes to pursue their dreams and to tell themselves that there are always other options to continue to live their passion  . "
South Africa and Morocco, regulars
South Africa , Morocco and, to a lesser extent, Kenya , are more regulars at the Winter Games. The Moroccan delegation has two members including veteran Samir Azzimani , aged 40, cross-country skiing.
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Africans Athletes Are Taking Over the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony—Stream It Here

A record setting number of African athletes came our to represent at this year's Winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang.

The 2018 Winter Olympics are being called "the most African" ever. With 13 athletes from 8 different African countries including Ghana, South Africa, Eritrea, Nigeria, Madagascar, Togo, Morocco, and Kenya, African athletes are leaving their mark on winter sports like never before.

A number of these athletes are representing their countries for the first time ever, and naturally there's an undeniable aura of pride in the air. This certainly came across during the opening ceremony this morning in Pyeongchang where athletes from across the globe came to wave their country's flag high.

Following in the tradition, Greece was the first country to come out, immediately followed by Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.

We can't wait to see some of our favorite athletes compete for the gold. You can stream the opening ceremony here.

Be sure to follow OkayAfrica for more updates on Africans at the 2018 Winter Olympics.


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African athletes at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic [Sport]

Sport attention this February shifts to the city of Pyeongchang in South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The first official event kicked off on Wednesday but the official opening ceremony will take place on Friday February 9 at 11amGMT.

The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies – but the build up to the start of the games has been dogged by concerns that the venue will be too cold for spectators.

Africa is mostly a tropical continent. Most countries don’t have the climate for winter sports but certainly, we have some teams representing the continent in this year’s games.

In fact, this year more African flags will be flying in the Winter games more than before. 8 countries in total, with Nigeria and Eritrea making their debuts with their bobsled and alpine skiing teams respectively. Kenya, Morocco, Ghana, Madagascar, South Africa, Togo completing the African party.

Akwasi Frimpong will become the first Ghanaian to compete in Skeleton. Seun Adigun, has teamed up with Akuoma Omeoga and Ngozi Onwumere to fly the Nigerian flag and the team will also be Africa’s first-ever contestants in the bobsled games.

Sabrina Simader and Mialitiana Clerc will become the first women to represent Kenya and Madagascar respectively. Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean will represent Togo while Connor Wilson with fly the South African flag as Morocco will have Adam Lamhamedi.

Finally Shannon-Ogbani Abeda will buckle up his ski boots to compete as Eritrea’s first-ever Winter Olympic athlete. All the above athletes are taking part in alpine skiing.

We touched base with the Ghanaian athlete Akwasi Frimpong before he left for Pyeongchang.

He said: “I have just qualified for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the sport of Skeleton. 

But my dream started a very long time ago. 15 years ago i won my first gold medal as a track and field athlete and that’s when I started to believe in myself that one day i can become and Olympian which I went after. In 2012 i missed the Olympics in track and field due to an injury. In 2014 i missed out again due to other reasons. But I have never stopped believing myself. I always work hard, stay disciplined and persisted; So if you have a goal and a dream and you really want to accomplish it just go after it. dare to dream and never stop dreaming!”



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