14 African Skiers Unite at Olympics for Inclusion

When 18-year-old Issa Gachingiri-Laborde finished his Olympic giant slalom race representing Kenya, his parents beamed with pride. He placed 66th out of 73 athletes, but the moment meant so much more than a ranking.

Gachingiri-Laborde was one of 14 African athletes competing in these Winter Games, more than double the number from 2022 in Beijing. This weekend in Bormio, Italy, six Olympic skiers from Jamaica, Kenya, Eritrea, Madagascar, South Africa, and Benin united with their families and coaches to celebrate their presence and push for greater inclusion in winter sports.

Henri Rivers III, coach of Jamaica's ski team and father of competing slalom skier Henri Rivers IV, brought the group together. He leads the National Brotherhood of Snowsport, an organization supporting athletes of color in winter sports.

"Look at all these athletes that you're looking at here," Rivers said of the group, made up largely of Black skiers. "I can tell you, they probably train on a hill where they're the only ones."

For many of these athletes, competing means overcoming financial hurdles their wealthier counterparts never face. Haiti's ski federation president Jean Pierre Roy explained the reality: "It costs a lot, and we are a small nation. We don't have much support."

Rivers praised the Olympic Solidarity Fund but stressed that organizations like his are essential to fill the gaps. Without additional support, many talented athletes from smaller nations simply cannot afford to compete.

The Ripple Effect

The gathering created something powerful: a community where these athletes no longer feel alone. Shannon Abeda of Eritrea, competing at his third and final Olympics, said meeting more skiers from African and smaller nations made him "feel less alone."

For 18-year-old Henri Rivers IV, making his Olympic debut, the connection runs deep. "Back home I feel like a Black kid, but now here I just feel like a kid," he said. "It feels great knowing that I got other brothers here."

The progress is real and measurable. In 1984, Lamine Gueye became the first Black African skier at the Winter Olympics. Today, 14 African athletes are competing. Jamaica's winter sports journey started with the famous "Cool Runnings" bobsled team in 1988, and now Jamaican athletes are winning gold medals.

Rivers predicts more breakthroughs ahead. "In less than 16 years, you're going to see some Black athletes on podiums" in Alpine skiing, he said.

The group plans to stay connected, developing resources and strategies together. Their unity sends a clear message: every nation deserves a place at the Winter Games, and together they're making it happen.