Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti will carry the flag of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at this year’s winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from February 4 to 20.
Having countries from the tropics in the Winter Olympics is an anomaly since snow is never available to practice in the homeland. Therefore, qualification to the winter games requires more physical and mental resources to compete. The journey for athletes and Olympic organizations is consequently replete with challenges that their counterparts in “snow” countries would not have experienced.
Hats off to the CARICOM teams!
Despite the odds, we take our hats off to these three CARICOM members who found it possible to compete at the most significant winter games on earth.
Haiti has never competed at the winter games. Richardson Viano will represent the French-speaking nation and parade his skills in the male Alpine – Men’s Giant Slalom competition on February 13. He finished 35th at the 2021 World Championships.
Trinidad’s first winter Olympics was in 1994 when they finished 37th. They participated again in 1998 and 2002, placing 32nd and 37th respectively. After a 20-year hiatus, the twin-island republic will take its Soca attitude on the ice again, with two athletes in the Bobsleigh event on August 10. Axel Brown will pilot the sled while Andre Marcano will accompany him as the brakeman.
Sports powerhouse of the Caribbean, Jamaica, has had an excellent introduction and journey at the Winter Olympics. At the Calgary Games in 1988, the land of jerk chicken and Reggae music made such an impact that Disney created the movie “Cool Runnings” about the team’s journey. The film had a production budget of $14 million and had box office earnings of $155 million worldwide.
Jamaica has competed at every Olympics, apart from the 2006 games. Most of the team’s athletes compete in bobsleigh. At the 2018 games, Jamaica finished 18th in the two-woman bobsleigh event, represented by Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell. The country’s best overall finish in Winter Olympics history is ninth in 2010. That year Errol Kerr competed in the ski cross event.
Who will compete at this year’s Olympics?
In Beijing, Jamaica will have six athletes competing in male and female bobsleigh and male Alpine Skiing. The team includes Benjamin Alexander in Alpine Skiing, Shanwayne Stephens, Nimroy Turgott, Rolando Reid, Ashley Watson in male bobsleigh, and Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian, who will compete in the women’s monobob.
We wish our regional men and women all that is good as they parade their skills in Beijing. The world may not be so optimistic, unlike with track and field, as Caribbean nationals would typically receive podium positions in that event. But like how they found the will and the belief that they belong among the best in the world, we know that they believe they can win.
Teams and persons with unlikely chances to win have come out victorious in the past. We hope the 2022 Winter Olympics is one such moment for our Caribbean sports soldiers. We are excited that these 12 athletes found the courage to compete. If they win any medal, there would not be enough pots, pans, and horns to make noise in the Caribbean community. Best of luck to them.
