At the opening ceremony of tonight's Winter Olympics, members of delegations from various countries slowly entered, some of them had only one athlete, some of them participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time, some from the equatorial or desert areas without ice and snow, and some practiced their skills on the snowy mountains after the avalanche.
Come on, Olympic athletes!
Alpine skiing in Pakistan
Mohammed Karim from the village of Upper Naltah in the Gilgit Baltistan region of northern Pakistan is the only Pakistani athlete to compete in the Beijing Winter Olympics and the only skier in Pakistan to have participated in two Winter Olympics.
Mohammed Karim, 26, is a young ski veteran.
There are no indoor ski slopes in Pakistan, and Karim can only train in the field at the Narta and Marangaba ski slopes in the north in winter.
After the snow melted in the snow field, he always tried to find the snow that fell in the canyon after the avalanche, risking his life and training for more than half a month to a month. While this training style is risky, Karim believes that under limited conditions, this method of improving skiing is worth a try.
There are three months of snow every year, and in the summer that follows, avalanches often occur on the top of snow-capped mountains. For him, training in the falling snow after an avalanche is very good.
Alpine skiing in East Timor
East Timor sends athlete Yohan to alpine skiing. Timor-Leste is an equatorial tropical country and can actively participate in snow and ice sports, which is the best interpretation of the Olympic spirit.
Delegation of Timor-Leste. Visual China
Alpine skiing in India
Arif Khan is the only Indian athlete to qualify for the Beijing Winter Olympics. He will compete in both ski slalom and slalom events at the Winter Olympics, the first time that an athlete in India has qualified for both events at the Winter Olympics.
Arif Khan was born in the Gulmarg Mountains of Indian-controlled Kashmir, where the snow is white in winter and the unique natural environment makes Gulmarg one of the few winter sports bases in India.
Arif Khan's father opened a small shop for ski equipment in the area, which was not only a means of livelihood for the whole family, but also a place where Arif Khan became associated with ice and snow sports.
Cross-country skiing in Nigeria
Samuel Ikpefan, the first skier in the country's history to compete in the Winter Olympics, will compete in cross-country skiing.
Saudi Arabia Alpine skiing
When it comes to Saudi Arabia, the vast majority of people think of the scorching sun and the desert, and the facts are not much different. But it is such a desert kingdom that this year will send alpine skier Faik Abidy to the Beijing Winter Olympics for the first time. Not only that, but he will also be the first athlete from the Gulf Arab countries to participate in the Winter Olympics.
Just a decade before the Winter Olympics began, Abidy learned on social media that Saudi Arabia was recruiting athletes for winter sports.
In the Beijing Winter Olympics, Abidi only hopes that he can play at a normal level, not be affected by any other factors, enjoy the game, enjoy the Winter Olympics.
In addition, Ghana, Albania, Peru and other countries and regions have also sent an athlete to participate in alpine skiing.
Why do "one-man groups" mostly participate in alpine skiing?
The name alpine skiing sounds cool, but in fact, ordinary people go skiing on the slopes and belong to the category of alpine skiing. A more popular explanation is to rush down the hillside. Faster than who gets to the finish line, called racing.
This is still a project that can be played by one person.
Editor: Shen Xiangsha
Comprehensive: International Online, Xinhua News Agency, Global Network, etc