2006 Winter Olympics
February 10 - 26, 2006
Torino, Italy

www.torino2006.org
www.torino2006.org - Robel's Page

Robel Teklemariam is an Ethiopian skier in pursuit of his dream to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics as the first skier for Ethiopia. He will be trying to compete in both Alpine and Nordic events.

Ethiopia is a country renowned for it’s’ marathon runners, but no one associates it with snow and skiing!

 Robel, who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1974 moved to New York in 1983, when his mother took a position with the United Nations Development Program. Robel did not like New York City schools nor the big city itself. His mother then enrolled him in a small boarding school (North Country School) in Lake Placid, New York. Lake Placid was the site of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Robel was introduced to skiing (both Alpine and Nordic) while at school there, and fell in love with cross-country ski racing. In fact, the second time he ever put on skis was to compete in an event. Robel lost to a boy who passed him three times before he even completed one lap. Eight years later he beat this same boy in several university (NCAA division 1) competitions.

At the age of twelve, a spectator at one of Robel's races said to him jokingly, that he should represent Ethiopia in the Olympics, and thus was born Robel's dream to represent his country in the Olympics.

Nineteen years later he is fulfilling his dream.

Robel is hoping to compete in both Alpine and Nordic events, a feat that has not been attempted in the past thirty years of Olympic competition. After competing in the Junior Olympics all four years of high school, Robel graduated as an All-American, and the first skier with an athletic scholarship to the University of New Hampshire, which boasts one of the top-ten ranked ski teams in the country. He raced in the NCAA championships his junior year, where he ranked as one of the top thirty in the country. In the winter of 2004 Robel placed third at the Alley Loop in Crested Butte, Colorado, finishing the competition despite breaking his pole at the start. In 2005, he placed second in this same race. Robel is also a fully certified level III ski instructor for the Professional Ski Instructors of America, Rocky Mountain Division.

Robel recently established the Ethiopian National Ski Federation (ENSF), a not-for-profit organization that would promote Ethiopian competition in winter sports.

The Ethiopian Olympics Committee has given their approval and support for his participation the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Through Robel's persistent efforts, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has given temporary ratification in recognition of the Ethiopian National Ski Federation, and he would be able to represent his beloved country in the Olympics.

It is the wish and hope of Robel that more Ethiopian skiers would join ENSF and make skiing a new sport where Ethiopian athletes would develop their skills in this exciting winter sport.

source: www.ensf.org

Robel Teklemariam
First Ethiopian Winter Olympian
First Ethiopian Olympics Skier

Ethiopian National Ski Federation
www.ensf.org

Ethiopia's Robel Teklemariam competes in the Men's 15K Classical Cross Country race at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Pragelato Plan, Italy, Friday Feb. 17, 2006. Teklemariam finished the race in 84th place. He was 9 minutes and 52.5 seconds behind gold medallist Andrus Veerpalu of Estonia.

(AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

Ethiopia first at Winter Olympics

Ethiopia is being represented for the first time at the Winter Olympics.

Robel Teklemariam said he hopes his countrymen's long-distance records on the track will translate into success in the cross-country skiing events.

Teklemariam, who left Ethiopia as a child, says without the financial help of Ethiopians abroad, he would not have made it to February's games in Italy.

He was so determined to compete that he set up a national skiing federation to get the sport recognised for Ethiopia.

Teklemariam, who has been training professionally for three years, took up skiing soon after arriving in the United States at the age of nine.

Heroes

The 31-year-old says he has not forgotten his roots and speaks Amharic.

"There are two things I absolutely love - besides my family - and that's skiing and Ethiopia," he told the BBC's Fast Track programme.