Away from the luster of medals and celebrations of victory, there were other historic, inspiring, and joyous moments for small and non-traditional winter sports countries at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
The headlines and medal table may have been dominated by the likes of Norway, Germany, China, and the United States, but athletes from Turkey, Monaco, Andorra, Israel, Brazil, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ireland also left an imprint on the Games.
One of the earliest unlikely success stories was that of Furkan Akar. Qualifying for the Games at the last possible moment, the Turkish short track athlete sped around the rink to finish a very respectable 6th place in Beijing. The feat is even more incredible considering Akar’s origins.
According to Turkish media outlet Sabah, Akar’s journey to the Olympic Games began with icy streets and plastic bags. He would put plastic bags over shoes and simulate skating down the frozen streets of Erzurum. Eventually, he progressed to a proper rink and was given a pair of skates so that he could train with the local club.
His story underscores the difficulty of accessing winter sports in Turkey, though the country has increased its investment in winter sports in recent years. Part of that investment saw Erzurum host the 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival.
Two years later, Akar won two medals at the next edition of the regional youth sporting event. On the topic of competing in short track speed skating, Akar told Sabah, “it has been challenging because skating is not a popular sport in our country. However, now it is getting more popular and known.”
“Today in Erzurum, there are ice rinks of a quality you don’t find in many European countries. All of these are important for our success.” The investment seems to have paid off in Akar’s favor, with the young Turk bagging his country’s best result at the Winter Olympics.
Akar wasn’t the only athlete from a non-traditional winter sports nation to pick up a sixth place, however, as Rudy Rinaldi and Boris Vain produced similar heroics in the men’s two-man bobsleigh competition.
The pair missed out on a medal by just over half a second, but they did secure Monaco’s best official result at the Olympic Games. Julien Médécin did win a bronze medal in architecture at the 1924 Summer Olympics, but that result is not counted as official by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who do not currently recognize the arts competitions held at those Games.
Rinaldi, a former bronze medalist at Youth Olympic level, stated, “we knew we could finish far ahead. We and all of Monaco are happy.”
The result will be warmly welcomed by Prince Albert II, Monaco’s head of state. He competed in bobsleigh at five editions of the Olympic Games, before pursuing a new calling as an active member of the IOC. He wasn’t present at the Yanqing National Sliding Center on the day of the competition, but he, like many Monegasque sports fans, will no doubt be pleased by the result.
Another small European country that shined in Beijing was Andorra. The small nation nestled in the Pyrenees between France and Spain scored a total of three top 20 placings at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The best of those came from Joan Verdú, who finished ninth in the men’s giant slalom. His effort tied the best-ever result at an Olympic Games for Andorra.
Likewise, his teammate, Cande Moreno, skied to the best female result for Andorra at the Winter Olympics. She celebrated the feat on Instagram stating, “first Olympic Games on the books with a 12 position in today’s race which is the best female result in Andorra in an Olympic Games and also my best FIS points score in DH.”
“I just wanted to thank all the people and sponsors who have made it possible for me to get here since I was a child till now for believing in me, supporting me, teaching me and making me grow as an athlete and as a person.”
Irineu Esteve Altimiras was the third athlete to contribute to Andorra’s tally of top 20 results, finishing 20th in the men’s skiathlon.
Another cross country skier who made history for his country was Thomas Maloney Westgård of Ireland. He skied to a 14th place finish in the men’s 15 kilometer classic event. Speaking to Reuters after the race, he stated, “I haven’t won an Olympic gold but the 14th place, it nearly feels like a medal for me.”
“You feel we (Ireland) get more respect on the skiing circuit, so it was a fantastic moment, coming in representing a smaller nation.”
“It is really hard regarding funding and that kind of stuff, especially when they compare us with the bigger nations. So that ours was the sixth best nation in the 15k, behind nations that are taking Olympic medals in cross-country skiing during these Olympics, this is fantastic.”
He also called for more support for developing ski nations, commenting, “it’s always the first thing you always ask for, more support, and I think there is potential there to take care of smaller nations better.”
Ireland registered two other top-15 results as well, with Jack Gower placing 12th in men’s alpine combined and Seamus O’Connor finishing 15th in men’s snowboard halfpipe.
Not to be outdone by Ireland, Israel, another developing ski nation, produced an outstanding result through Barnabas Szollos. Szollos finished sixth in the men’s alpine combined, tying Israel’s best ever result at the Winter Olympics.
After the event, he commented, “I achieved everything I wanted to. My plan was to be in the top-30 in discipline, and to do my best result in alpine combined. That’s what I did and placed sixth. I am really happy with that. I didn’t expect to be that good in alpine combined, so that was a surprise for me and for everyone.”
Moving from the Middle East to South America, Nicole Rocha Silveira of Brazil delivered her nation’s second best performance at the Winter Olympics. She finished 13th in women’s skeleton after serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic as a nurse in Canada.
She told Brazilian outlet Olimpiada todo Dia, “it was quite difficult. First, because I returned to Canada the day before the lockdown and had to be quarantined.”
“Afterwards, I initially worked in a home for the elderly at the height of social isolation measures. Of course, wearing a mask for physical activities is uncomfortable, but I’m used to it in everyday life and, as a nurse, I see when I can keep my distance in certain situations in competition.”
In the end, Silveira raced to a historic result. She shared her thoughts on Instagram, stating, “I put so much effort to be here, needed to be away from people I love, always focused on my goal and fulfilling a dream, which was to compete in the Olympics. And to end up with this result, and with all the love I received, it shows that it was all worth it!”
The joy elicited from minor placings and smaller, historic results adds credence to the old saying that “not everything that glitters is gold.” There may not have been a large medal haul for small or non-traditional winter sports nations in Beijing, but there remains plenty of reasons to celebrate the performance of these nations.
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