Tropical Nations Trying out Winter Sports – And Succeeding
Winter sports are usually associated with countries which have a lot of snow, meaning those in the northern most parts of the world or those which have natural snowfall throughout the year, preferably a quarter of the year. Some make do with more, some with less. There are, however, countries which have no snowfall, whatsoever, and they still find ways of competing in winter sports.
Winter sports are interesting because they can take place only in winter, unless the circumstances are different, for example, figure skating (ice rinks can be created in summer, as well as winter, but with more energy wasted). Winter sports are also attractive to punters, especially due to their specific nature. They love betting on winter sports, using promo codes like this FUN88 รหัสพันธมิตร to make their betting experience better.
The most interesting part about winter sports is when countries which have no snow take part, like tropical countries, or those in Africa and the southern parts of the world, near the ocean. Here is how they prepare for winter sports and even the Winter Olympics.
No Snow – No Problem
The most iconic of the stories of such kind is that of the Jamaican bobsled team which competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. They crashed and finished last. Their 1992 showing wasn’t all that better, but it was an improvement. The later years have shown that the bobsled teams from Jamaica have only got better. The men’s team wasn’t that promising, so the women’s team took over, at least in the eyes of the public.
Their practice runs were anywhere from military bases in Jamaica to practicing abroad, in Austria, and even on a lake, namely Lake Placid. Their equipment was either borrowed or made out of spare parts. For the 1988 team, this was a huge step, especially because none of the other countries in such a climate ever thought of making a bobsled team. They have inspired many such countries in hot climates to try and apply for the Olympics in winter sports.
A Matter of Semantics
Some people, born in countries like Eritreia, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria and the like, compete under their own national flag, even though most of them have dual citizenships, mostly American or Canadian. What this means is that they can practice in Canada and America, where there definitely are cold winters and a lot of snow, and then partake in the Olympics under their hot climate country’s flag. This is especially true for individual sports like skiing. Although you can ski on sand dunes and that is a sport of its own, sand and snow behave a tad bit differently and the weather is definitely the opposite. This way, there are plenty of hot climate citizens competing in winter sports, but who have dual citizenships and practice in colder parts of the world. Whether you consider this to be a true hot climate.
2018 Winter Olympics – 8 Afrian Nations
Kenya, Eritreia, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Madagascar, South Africa and Morocco competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics. None of these countries have the necessary climate to practice winter sports, but they do have determination and representatives willing to travel halfway over the world to find a piste or a track.
Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, skeleton and bobsleigh are the disciplines in which the athletes competed. Determination and hard work, despite the results, have proven that there always need to be pioneers, usually taking great sacrifices to get something started.
Tropical countries have it hard when it comes to winter sports but some find a way to compete, showing others how to start their own journey.