Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics

Several tropical nations have participated in the Winter Olympics despite not having the climate for winter sports. Partly because of that, their entries are a subject of human interest stories during the Games.[1][2][3] No tropical nation has ever won a Winter Olympic medal.

The team from Ghana during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
In 2014, Michael Christian Martinez became the first Filipino, the first Southeast Asian, and the first tropical male figure skater in the Winter Olympics, as well as the first Philippine Winter Olympian in 22 years.

The first warm-weather, but not tropical, nation participating in the Winter Olympics was Mexico. Much of Mexico is at a latitude north of the Tropic of Cancer, and most of the country has a subtropical highland or semi-arid climate, so it is not exclusively a tropical nation. Nonetheless, Mexico made its Winter Olympic debut at the 1928 Winter Olympics[4] with a five-man bobsleigh team that finished eleventh of twenty-three entrants.[5] Mexico did not return again to the Winter Games until the 1984 Winter Olympics.[6]

The first truly tropical nation to compete in the Winter Olympic Games is the Philippines, who sent two alpine skiers to the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.[7] Ben Nanasca placed 42nd in giant slalom skiing (out of 73 entrants), and Juan Cipriano did not finish. In slalom skiing, neither skier was able to finish. Costa Rica became the second tropical nation to participate at the Winter Games, in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York,[8] where Arturo Kinch also competed in alpine skiing events. Kinch would continue to compete for Costa Rica at three more Winter Games, including the 2006 Winter Olympics at age 49. There he finished 96th in the 15 km cross-country skiing event, ahead of only Prawat Nagvajara of Thailand, another tropical nation.[3][9]

The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada attracted many tropical nations, including Costa Rica, Fiji, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.[10] The Jamaican Bobsled Team became a fan favorite at these Games[11] and were later the inspiration of the 1993 motion picture Cool Runnings. In the 1994 Winter Olympics six years later, the Jamaican four-man sled placed a creditable fourteenth, ahead of the United States and Russia, while a Jamaican bobsledder Lascelles Brown won silver for Canada in 2006.

The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy marked the Winter Games debut of Ethiopia[2] and Madagascar.[12] The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada saw the debut of the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Peru,[13] and Ghana.[14] The 2014 Winter Olympics saw the debut of Dominica, Paraguay, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, and Zimbabwe. The 2018 Winter Olympics saw the debut of Ecuador, Eritrea, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Singapore.

List of participating tropical nations

World map with tropical latitudes highlighted in red
World map with tropical climates highlighted in red

This list of nations includes those that lie entirely or predominantly within the tropical latitudes and also have a mostly tropical climate according to the Köppen climate classification system. Years of Winter Olympic Games participation are shown.

Africa
 Cameroon (CMR)2002
 Eritrea (ERI)2018
 Ethiopia (ETH)2006–2010
 Ghana (GHA)2010, 2018
 Kenya (KEN)1998–2006, 2018
 Madagascar (MAD)2006, 2018
 Nigeria (NGR)2018
 Senegal (SEN)1984, 1992–1994, 2006–2010
 Togo (TOG)2014, 2018
 Zimbabwe (ZIM)2014
 
Americas
 Bolivia (BOL)1956, 1980–1992, 2018
 British Virgin Islands (IVB)1984, 2014
 Brazil (BRA)1992–2018
 Cayman Islands (CAY)2010–2014
 Colombia (COL)2010, 2018
 Costa Rica (CRC)1980–1992, 2006
 Dominica (DMA)2014
 Ecuador (ECU)2018
 Guatemala (GUA)1988
 Honduras (HON)1992
 Jamaica (JAM)1988–2002, 2010–2018
 Netherlands Antilles (AHO)1988–1992
 Paraguay (PAR)2014
 Peru (PER)2010–2014
 Puerto Rico (PUR)1984–2002, 2018
 Trinidad and Tobago (TTO)1994–2002
 Venezuela (VEN)1998–2006, 2014
 Virgin Islands (ISV)1988–2006, 2014
 
Asia-Pacific
 American Samoa (ASA)1994
 Fiji (FIJ)1988, 1994, 2002
 Guam (GUM)1988
 Tonga (TGA)2014–2018
 Hong Kong (HKG)2002–2018
 Malaysia (MAS)2018
 Philippines (PHI)1972, 1988–1992, 2014–2018
 Singapore (SGP)2018
 Thailand (THA)2002–2006, 2014–2018
 East Timor (TLS)2014–2018

Other warm-weather nations (located in the subtropics, for example) that have competed in the Winter Games include Australia (which has a tropical far north, and became the first and so far the only Southern Hemisphere nation to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2002), Bermuda, Chinese Taipei, Eswatini, Hong Kong, India which has several North Indian states covered with snow and also India contains a very large and very cold section of the Himalayas, Mexico, South Africa, Uruguay and several North African nations including Algeria, Egypt and Morocco.

Tonga sought to make its Winter Olympic debut at the 2010 Winter Olympics by entering a single competitor in luge, attracting some media attention, but he crashed in the final round of qualifying.[15] Two years later, he attracted media attention again when it was discovered he had altered his name to that of one of his sponsors, a lingerie firm, as a marketing stunt. He was, at that time, in training to attempt to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics.[16][17]

Notable winter Olympians from tropical nations

Philip Boit was the first Kenyan to participate in the Winter Olympics.
Lamine Guèye, the first Black African skier to take part in a Winter Olympics.
NameNationSport
Anne Abernathy Virgin Islandsluge
Bruno Banani Tongaluge
Judd Bankert Guambiathlon
Iginia Boccalandro Venezuelaluge
Philip Boit Kenyacross-country skiing
Lascelles Brown Jamaica[nb 1]bobsleigh
Edson Bindilatti Brazilbobsleigh
Roberto Carcelen Perucross-country skiing
Isabel Clark Ribeiro Brazilsnowboarding
Cynthia Denzler Colombiaalpine skiing
Erroll Fraser British Virgin Islandsspeed skating
Lamine Guèye Senegalalpine skiing
Werner Hoeger Venezuelaluge
Errol Kerr Jamaicafreestyle skiing
Arturo Kinch Costa Ricaalpine skiing and cross-country skiing
Eric Maleson Brazilbobsleigh
Michael Christian Martinez Philippinesfigure skating
Andrew McNeilly Trinidad and Tobagobobsleigh
Isaac Menyoli Camerooncross-country skiing
Renato Mizoguchi Brazilluge
Jaqueline Mourão Brazilbiathlon and cross-country skiing
Prawat Nagvajara Thailandcross-country skiing
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong Ghanaalpine skiing
Raymond Ocampo Philippinesluge
Ricardo Raschini Brazilbobsleigh and luge
Mathieu Razanakolona Madagascaralpine skiing
Rusiate Rogoyawa Fijicross-country skiing
Leyti Seck Senegalalpine skiing
Robel Teklemariam Ethiopiacross-country skiing
Michael Teruel Philippinesalpine skiing
Laurence Thoms Fijialpine skiing
Dow Travers Cayman Islandsalpine skiing
George Tucker Puerto Ricoluge
Vanessa Vanakorn Thailandalpine skiing
Hubertus von Hohenlohe Mexicoalpine skiing
Isadora Williams Brazilfigure skating
Pedro Causil Colombiaspeed skating
Diego Amaya Colombiaspeed skating

Winter Paralympic Games

As of 2014, only two tropical nations have been represented at the Winter Paralympic Games.[18] Tofiri Kibuuka of Uganda competed in cross-country skiing at the inaugural edition of the Winter Paralympics in 1976 and again at the 1980 Games.[19] After Kibuuka obtained Norwegian nationality, he began to compete for Norway at the Paralympics starting in 1984, winning several medals in athletics at the Summer Paralympics. Brazil sent two athletes as part of its debut at the 2014 Winter Paralympics.

Africa
 Uganda (UGA)1976–1980
Americas
 Brazil (BRA)2014–2018
NameNationSport
Tofiri Kibuuka Ugandacross-country skiing
Fernando Aranha Brazilcross-country skiing
André Cintra Brazilsnowboard cross
Aline Rocha Brazilcross-country skiing
Cristian Ribera Brazilcross-country skiing

Winter Youth Olympic Games

Five tropical nations were represented at the First Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Africa
 Eritrea (ERI)2012
 Kenya (KEN)2016
 
Americas
 Brazil (BRA)2012–2020
 Cayman Islands (CAY)2012
 Colombia (COL)2016–2020
 Ecuador (ECU)2020
 Haiti (HAI)2020
 Jamaica (JAM)2016
 Peru (PER)2012
 Trinidad and Tobago (TTO)2020
 
Asia
 Hong Kong (HKG)2020
 Malaysia (MAS)2016–2020
 Philippines (PHI)2012, 2020
 Singapore (SGP)2020
 Thailand (THA)2020
 East Timor (TLS)2016

See also

Notes

  1. Brown competed for Jamaica in the 2002 Games, but has competed for Canada since 2006.

References

  1. Brown, Gerry. "Beyond the Jamaican Bobsledders". Infoplease. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
  2. "Ethiopia first at Winter Olympics". BBC News. February 10, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
  3. Bunce, Steve (February 17, 2006). "The crazy race – only the potty need apply". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. Comité Olympique Suisse (1928). Rapport Général du Comité Exécutif des IImes Jeux Olympiques d'hiver (PDF) (in French). Lausanne: Imprimerie du Léman. p. 7. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  5. Comité Olympique Suisse (1928). Résultats des Concours des IImes Jeux Olympiques d'hiver (PDF) (in French). Lausanne: Imprimerie du Léman. pp. 12–13. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  6. Official Report of the Organising Committee of the XlVth Winter Olympic Games 1984 at Sarajevo (PDF). Sarajevo: Oslobodenje. 1984. pp. 89–90. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  7. The Official Report of XIth Winter Olympic Games, Sapporo 1972 (PDF). The Organizing Committee for the Sapporo Olympic Winter Games. 1973. pp. 32, 145, 447. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  8. Final Report XIII Olympic Winter Games (PDF). Ed Lewi Associates. pp. 6, 12, 19. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  9. "Turin 2006 Winter Olympics – Cross Country Results". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. Janofsky, Michael (February 7, 1988). "'88 Winter Olympics; Calgary Has It Down Cold". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. Harasta, Cathy (February 20, 1988). "Jamaican bobsledders want to dispel jokes about tropical entry in wintry sport". The Dallas Morning News.
  12. "Madagascar prepares for its first winter Olympic appearance ever in Turin 2006" (PDF) (Press release). rAzAlpin.org. November 28, 2005. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  13. Brewer, Jerry (February 4, 2010). "Peruvian cross-country skier Roberto Carcelén reaches Olympic dream". The Seattle Times.
  14. Wyatt, Ben; Gittings, Paul (February 27, 2010). "Snow Leopard continues proud African tradition at Winter Games". CNN. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  15. Hofman, Helene (February 1, 2010). "Tongan athlete narrowly misses out on Winter Olympics". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  16. Kingston, Gary (December 2, 2011). "Tonga's chosen one takes aim at Sochi luging". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011.
  17. Tong, Andrew (February 5, 2012). "Outside Edge: Liar, liar, pants on fire in the snow". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016.
  18. "IPC Historical Results database". International Paralympic Committee.
  19. Results for Tofiri Kibuuka from the International Paralympic Committee (archived)
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