The Paper's reporter Hu Jie intern Huang Yunxuan
【Editor's Note】
Due to the natural conditions of ice and snow sports, many countries do not have the conditions to carry out winter Olympics, but this still cannot stop their determination to challenge the limits.
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, there was such a group of people - they are one country, they are the lone heroes of ice and snow. Their story is the best interpretation of the Olympic spirit.
Richardson Viano at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
When Richardson Viano, wearing a snow suit and goggles, stood on the departure platform of the men's big slalom of the Beijing Winter Olympics, on the streets of his hometown of Haiti, people wearing short sleeves could be seen everywhere.
The word Haiti, which means "mountainous country" in Indian, is 75% mountainous in all of Haiti. Mountains are probably the only place associated with alpine skiing, but the geographical location determines that Haiti is a country with no connection with ice and snow.
On Haiti's soil, no one had ever participated in the Winter Olympics before, until the appearance of Richardson Viano changed that history.
What is even more amazing is that this 20-year-old teenager has completed a magical journey from the Haitian orphanage to the Beijing Winter Olympic Village. Viano said: "I hope to show that our country is not only earthquakes and other disasters. ”
Richardson Viano.
Teenagers from orphanages
In December 2005, 3-year-old Viano had been in an orphanage in Haiti for a year and a half.
A turning point in fate came at this moment, when an Italian couple living in France decided to adopt him. Thus, Viano came to France from this disaster-stricken country.
The Briançon where they live is located in the Alpine region and is a famous ski resort. Viano's adoptive father was a ski instructor, so Viano, who had never seen snow before, started his skiing life in the Alps.
Seeing snow for the first time, Viano initially treated snow as white powder, "I came to France when I was 3 years old, and my parents quickly let me put on snowboards. I joined the ski club when I was 6 years old and was able to walk through the snow very quickly. ”
Initially, Viano aimed to join the French Ski Federation, but his performance did not impress France. Following this trend, Viano may never be able to set foot on the stage of the Winter Olympics.
It wasn't until one day at the age of 16 that a phone call changed his fortunes again – Viano received a call from the Haitian Ski Federation asking him to represent Haiti.
"At first I didn't believe it, I thought it was a joke from a friend." In Viano's eyes, how can Haiti have a ski-related organization, "After the call, I checked the Internet and found that Haiti does have a ski federation!" ”
A few days later, Viano made a phone call. He explains: "I love skiing and I wanted to continue, so I immediately joined the Federation of Haiti. ”
What followed was a natural progression, and Viano became a Haitian skier.
Made two bets
Why does a country without snow and ice have a Haitian Ski Federation? This is another legend.
In the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti, Haitian Jean Pierre Roy decided to start the Haitian Ski Federation.
At the age of 46, he lived in France and was an engineer and ski enthusiast. He made two bets with his friends at the ski club – to compete in the Ski World Championships as a national of his natives, while convincing the local Olympic Committee to form the Haitian Ski Federation.
The previous goal, Roy completed in the second year. As a Haitian athlete, he competed in that year's World Ski Championships and eventually finished 78th.
The second goal is to get the local Olympic Committee, which does not care about ice and snow sports. At that time, Haiti had just experienced a major earthquake and was devastated. Therefore, the federation has set its purpose: to actively promote Haiti, hoping to inspire everyone to surpass themselves through sports.
In the end, Roy became president and sole representative of the Haitian Ski Federation and was recognized by the International Snow Federation.
After its establishment, the Haitian Ski Federation began to look for Haitians who could ski, and due to the limited terrain of Haiti, the Federation's targets were also aimed overseas, until they found Viano.
Why represent Haiti, in addition to the love of skiing, Viano explains: "I want to give Haitians a signal of hope, but also to other young people in trouble." You have to believe in your dreams and never give up. ”
The first time, contact the orphanage
After having athletes, the Winter Olympics are the goal of the Haitian Ski Federation.
"In alpine skiing, the fewer the points, the higher the performance of the athlete. For example, the world's first is only 1 point. To qualify for the Winter Olympics, a score of 160 or less must be achieved. Roy began to introduce the players to the threshold for participating in the Winter Olympics and make a plan for them to play.
So Viano took his Haitian passport and went to various points competitions to brush points. The first season was difficult for them, and it wasn't until the second season that they joined a french private ski team that made it easier to compete.
As the results slowly improved, in February 2021, Viano finally participated in the World Championships in Italy, "It was the first time I played with the best 50 people in the world, I could see how they were focused, how they were playing, I was stiff like a broom handle." However, I achieved results that surprised everyone. ”
In that game, Viano finished 35th in the 50-man race. Viano said: "If I can send a signal, it is that as long as we work hard, everything is possible, we never give up, even if it takes a little luck." ”
During his efforts to represent Haiti at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Viano also reached out to his former Haitian orphanage.
"I'm proud to show them my success and I really want to go back there and look at my roots, especially to bring dreams to young people through sport and its values."
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang