OlymPicks: Ghana's Second Ever Winter Athlete Looks to Team Russia for Help, While China Looks to the UFC

In OlymPicks, we highlight news, gossip, and developments regarding the buildup to Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics.

From Ghana to Beijing, by way of Russia

As only the second Ghanian to participate in the Winter Olympics, Akwasi Frimpong has already gone a long way in representing his community on the world stage. Unfortunately, having placed last in the men’s skeleton event at Pyeongchang in 2018, there’s still more work to be done for the 34-year-old. Until this year, Frimpong trained at an Olympic bobsleigh run in Salt Lake City, Utah, leftover from the 2002 Games. However, to remain competitive, it’s imperative that athletes get comfortable on various tracks, and work with other teams and coaches. “I needed a different location to diversify my experience in the sport after all these years in the US,” Frimpong told theafricandream.net.

That’s why, earlier this year, Frimpong sent a letter to the Russian Bobsleigh Federation, asking if he could train with their renowned team. Much to his surprise, they said yes. “This year, [we] received a letter from Frimpong asking to help him to prepare and qualify for the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing,” said Elena Anikina, president of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation. “I decided to support Akwasi and provide the maximum possible assistance…I really hope that we will help him reach his dream of competing at the Olympic Games.”

For the time being, Frimpong will be training with team Russia, receiving logistical, technical, and organizational help in the lead up to Beijing 2022 qualifiers. When it comes time to participate in the Games, however, he will be representing his native Ghana, an honor that certainly isn’t lost on the Olympic hopeful. “When I lay on a sled, I think of two things,” said Frimpong, “beating time and giving a billion people on the continent of Africa hope.”

Countries feeling COVID-19 pressure

It was to be expected, but various countries are finally starting to voice their concerns and frustrations about preparing for an Olympic Games in the midst of a brutal pandemic that, in many parts of the world, shows little sign of abating. From travel restrictions and limits on large scale gatherings to mandatory quarantines and canceled international events, the variables surrounding every team’s ability to train are seemingly endless. For instance, in Canada, skeleton and luge teams have called off participation in any international events throughout the first part of the season, and will stay in Canada until at least December. Likewise, World Cup speed skating events have been canceled throughout the rest of the year, meaning those athletes will stay home until 2021. Even in North America, where the Canadian teams were hoping to compete on their own turf, most international competitions have been canceled. In fact, of the 29 medals that Canada took home at the 2018 Winter Games, 26 were in sports for which there will be no world championships this year.

Even if competitions aren’t canceled, however, it makes the choice to travel that much more difficult given the loss of fitness training during a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon returning to Canada. “If I had to come back mid-season to do some races in Canada to re-qualify, that 14-day quarantine really – especially in an endurance sport – is terrible,” Olympic cross-country skier Dahria Beatty told The Canadian Press.

Meanwhile, over in Poland, four-time Olympic medal winner and director-coordinator of ski jumping and Nordic combined at the Polish Ski Association, Adam Malysz recently told Xinhua that aside from the blow to training regiments and participation in international competitions, the financial burden of COVID mitigation efforts is worrisome, in and of itself. “The International Ski Federation wants to do everything to play the season,” Malysz told Xinhua. “They recommend ski jumpers to be tested before each competition…[but] it’s a huge expense for our federation. I think it will be difficult to meet these guidelines.” 

Chinese athletes partner with UFC

Back on the mainland, the Chinese Olympic Committee announced last month that it would be partnering with the UFC, America’s bastion of brute force, and beer-chugging fight nights. Apparently, it isn’t all hyper-violence in the ring, as UFC will function as the Official High-Performance Advisor for the Chinese Olympic Committee while using the Shanghai-based UFC Performance Institute as its Official High-Performance Training Center. In addition to strength training and body conditioning, UFC staff will also share sports science and nutrition insights, as well as training philosophies and techniques.

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Images: wwlp.com, Russian Bobsleigh Federation, Toronto Star, TRT World