We all remember the heroic stand that U.S. Gold Medalist Joey Cheek took earlier this week regarding the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
On a bit of a different level, now steps up another outstanding Olympic story - the story of Mathieu Razanakolona, the first Winter Olympian from Madagascar.
Here's his story ( check out the picture):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060217/wl_canada_nm/canada_olympics_alpine_skiing_madagascar_col
NO SNOW BUT MADAGASCAR TAKES TO SLOPES
by Elizabeth Piper
Fri Feb 17, 12:43 PM ET
TURIN (Reuters) - There is no snow and the only skiing is on the Indian Ocean.
But a young Canadian is leading Madagascar into its first Winter Olympics in the Italian Alps.
He has only been there a handful of times -- the price of tickets from Canada are "quite expensive" -- yet 19-year-old Mathieu Razanakolona has turned his hobby into an all-but full-time job to honor the country of his father's birth.
"First we had to create the Malagasy Ski Federation which they didn't have because, of course, there is no snow in Madagascar," he told Reuters in an interview, adding he then had to travel Europe to compete and earn some points to qualify.
"I have been skiing for 15 years but only as a hobby and at weekends."
It took two years to get here, but Mathieu and his 24-year-old brother, Philippe, who runs fundraising for healthcare, education and clean water projects, are having a blast. They are celebrities in Madagascar and on the slopes.
And they got to march on to center stage at the Turin Olympics' opening ceremony -- albeit as one of the smallest contingents.
"It's incredible. I mean, our first experience was the opening ceremony which was just awesome, carrying a flag made me so much prouder," Mathieu said. "It's incredible, it's just continuing on and on every day."
He competes in the giant slalom on Monday and the slalom on Saturday, February 25.
Born in Canada, Mathieu has taken a year off school to pursue the Olympic dream, and help a country he has seen little of and which his father left for a better life.
Even he admits using Winter sports as a platform for attracting interest in a country, which located in the Indian Ocean just over 400 km (250 miles) off the eastern coast of Africa just south of the equator rarely gets cold.
"The Madagasies find it really strange, they don't have snow. They've never seen it," Mathieu said, adding he hoped his Olympic bid could draw attention to Madagascar and help boost investment and tourism.
"They are really supportive, we went this summer to make the population know what we are doing for Madagascar ... In the streets they were shaking our hands."
But this time round, Madagascar is unlikely to win its first Olympic medal. Maybe next time.
"I have no chance of getting a medal because I never trained. I never did ski to get a medal in the Olympics. It was a dream as an athlete but it was never one of my realistic goals," Mathieu said.
"Four years is a really long time but I think if I come back in the next Olympic Games I am really going to ski rather than just participate. I will be going for medals for sure."
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I really liked this story - the story of one person's determination to see a dream come true for himself and the country of his father's birth.
Mathieu Razanakolona is already a winner!
On a bit of a different level, now steps up another outstanding Olympic story - the story of Mathieu Razanakolona, the first Winter Olympian from Madagascar.
Here's his story ( check out the picture):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060217/wl_canada_nm/canada_olympics_alpine_skiing_madagascar_col
NO SNOW BUT MADAGASCAR TAKES TO SLOPES
by Elizabeth Piper
Fri Feb 17, 12:43 PM ET
TURIN (Reuters) - There is no snow and the only skiing is on the Indian Ocean.
But a young Canadian is leading Madagascar into its first Winter Olympics in the Italian Alps.
He has only been there a handful of times -- the price of tickets from Canada are "quite expensive" -- yet 19-year-old Mathieu Razanakolona has turned his hobby into an all-but full-time job to honor the country of his father's birth.
"First we had to create the Malagasy Ski Federation which they didn't have because, of course, there is no snow in Madagascar," he told Reuters in an interview, adding he then had to travel Europe to compete and earn some points to qualify.
"I have been skiing for 15 years but only as a hobby and at weekends."
It took two years to get here, but Mathieu and his 24-year-old brother, Philippe, who runs fundraising for healthcare, education and clean water projects, are having a blast. They are celebrities in Madagascar and on the slopes.
And they got to march on to center stage at the Turin Olympics' opening ceremony -- albeit as one of the smallest contingents.
"It's incredible. I mean, our first experience was the opening ceremony which was just awesome, carrying a flag made me so much prouder," Mathieu said. "It's incredible, it's just continuing on and on every day."
He competes in the giant slalom on Monday and the slalom on Saturday, February 25.
Born in Canada, Mathieu has taken a year off school to pursue the Olympic dream, and help a country he has seen little of and which his father left for a better life.
Even he admits using Winter sports as a platform for attracting interest in a country, which located in the Indian Ocean just over 400 km (250 miles) off the eastern coast of Africa just south of the equator rarely gets cold.
"The Madagasies find it really strange, they don't have snow. They've never seen it," Mathieu said, adding he hoped his Olympic bid could draw attention to Madagascar and help boost investment and tourism.
"They are really supportive, we went this summer to make the population know what we are doing for Madagascar ... In the streets they were shaking our hands."
But this time round, Madagascar is unlikely to win its first Olympic medal. Maybe next time.
"I have no chance of getting a medal because I never trained. I never did ski to get a medal in the Olympics. It was a dream as an athlete but it was never one of my realistic goals," Mathieu said.
"Four years is a really long time but I think if I come back in the next Olympic Games I am really going to ski rather than just participate. I will be going for medals for sure."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I really liked this story - the story of one person's determination to see a dream come true for himself and the country of his father's birth.
Mathieu Razanakolona is already a winner!