Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Anyone from a snowless country who is able to qualify for (and send himself to) the Winter Olympics is one to watch in my book.

He may not be one to beat and he probably won't medal, but you can be sure someone like that will ski his heart out.

Ghana's very first athlete to ever qualify and compete in the Winter Olympics is named Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, but most people in Vancouver know him simply as the Snow Leopard. Sporting leopard print ski pants and Ghana colors, 35-year-old Kwame has quickly become a fan favorite in Vancouver.


A competitive soccer and tennis player, Kwame only first stepped on skis six years ago at an indoor ski hill in England. He quickly grew to love the sport and proceeded to enter and win several international competitions. During a press conference in Vancouver, he said the challenge of skiing was what he loves about it.

"It is extremely difficult and I’ll never be perfect at it, so there is always something to fight for. With sports, when I get really good at something, I get bored," he said. "Skiing is like impossible for me to get really good at it. I can only keep fighting, fighting, fighting… but at least I will not regret doing it because it has given me this opportunity to be here."

Getting to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics has been no easy feat for Kwame. Unlike most Olympians, Kwame doesn't have any big name sponsors, isn't getting any help from the Ghanaian government and has had to raise his own money to get this far. Until recently, Kwame never even had a coach.

This is definitely one of those stories that represents the true Olympic spirit. Expect a large crowd when he competes on February 27th... I know I'll be watching.