Akwasi Frimpong's bid to inspire young Africans through a path less traveled !!!
The very thought of an African at the Winter Olympics is automatically considered an anomaly because African nations are simply not much of a fixture at the Winter Games primarily because of geography.
Africa, as everyone knows, has the Equator straddling it and thus has never ever experienced winter like it is in the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth save for the very far north and southern tip of Africa where they do have a Winter season. The outer-bands
participate in the Winter Games it is bound to raise eyebrows, followed by a host of questions. The questions range from why? … to … how is he going to do it, and do you think you stand a chance of competing against those born in Winter climates?
This is what Ghanaian Dutch man; Akwasi Frimpong’s life has been like for a few years now since he returned from a devastating sports injury to resume another career whose foundation emanates from his Track & Field exploits to what will now be a first for a Ghanaian as a Skeleton athlete.
The reach of Winter to the far edges of Africa is evident through the interests and participation levels of northern African nations and South Africa in the South at the Winter Games.
Most of Sub-Sahara Africa is tropical by nature and this is challenging enough to even consider taking part in a Winter sport let alone the added participation requirement cost which is rather steep and out of reach for most in a region, where entire families live on a dollar a day.
So, when you hear of someone from a tropical nation like Ghana mentioned as wanting to
By Leslie Koroma Snr.