Adam Hunt
Sports Reporter / Columnist
There isn’t much snow in the African nation of Ghana. None, in fact.
This is hardly surprising given that the outside temperature has never dropped below 50°F.
It’s even less surprising that, in a population of 24 million, you can count the number of world-ranked Ghanaian skiers with just one finger.
What will raise a few eyebrows, however, is the fact that Ghana’s one-man ski team, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, is preparing to take on the world’s best after qualifying for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver which commenced this week.
Nicknamed the ‘Snow Leopard,’ the 35-year-old has admitted to only seeing snow for the first time ten years ago and began skiing in 2004.
But Nkrumah-Acheampong has come a long way since then, tirelessly traveling the globe to far-flung destinations in search of vital qualifying points for the Winter Games.
For the purpose of competition, skiers have a rating of World Ski Federation points. It starts at 1,000 and has to be brought down to between 120 and 140 to be eligible.
In official races, the nearer a skier finishes to the winner the more points are deducted from their score.
Nkrumah-Acheampong set about racing his way into contention in Italy, Greece, Bosnia, Romania, Germany and France.
But the determined Ghanaian suffered a cruel setback last year when his flight to a vital qualification race in Iran was cancelled and he missed the opportunity to get his score below the magical 140 barrier.
Nevertheless, this winter, he finally clinched his place at an invitational race in the Iranian National Championships and will now compete in the slalom and giant slalom in Canada.
This is a dream come true for Nkrumah-Acheampong, whose remarkable story has echoes of the appearance of a Jamaican bobsleigh team at the Calgary Games in 1988, later spawning the Hollywood movie ‘Cool Runnings.’
He admits that being the first Ghanaian Winter Olympian – let alone being the first downhill skier – is an achievement.
In an interview with ESPN he said: “I think it was like sending a Ghanaian to the moon. I feel great about competing and all my friends in Ghana think it is really cool. I’m very proud of my heritage and being a role model for other Africans and Ghanaians to follow their dream. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.”
In line with his nickname, Nkrumah-Acheampong is also supporting the Snow Leopard Trust charity to help protect the endangered creatures from extinction.
His ambition is to return to Ghana with his family, who currently live in England, and open a dry ski slope there.
And whilst he may not claim gold in Vancouver, he can forever be proud to have overcome such adversity to become the unlikely hero of African snow sports.
