Akwasi Frimpong鈥檚 rightful return to Winter Olympics denied by IOC
PARK CITY, Utah (BVM) 鈥� Akwasi Frimpong is no stranger to overcoming adversity. It鈥檚 been present in his life since a child, and it has reared its head once again in a different form more than 30 years later.听
Frimpong was born in Ghana and, after his mother left when he was 2 or 3 years old, lived with his grandmother alongside his brother and eight other cousins. One of Frimpong鈥檚 favorite memories from that time was Christmas Day, where he said they had 鈥渢he luxury and privilege鈥� of drinking a full bottle of Coca-Cola.听听听
鈥淢y grandmother didn鈥檛 have much money to feed all of us well every day, so on Christmas, we had that luxury and it was really fun,鈥� Frimpong said. 鈥淲e slept on concrete floors as a kid with 10 of us sharing blankets and water would be dripping from the ceiling. It was tough, but my grandmother was a strong woman, hardworking and did everything that she could as much as possible for her grandkids.鈥�
Frimpong鈥檚 mother left Ghana for the Netherlands and promised to return with a job and a better life for her two sons. She kept that promise and the family moved to the Netherlands in 1995 where Frimpong said he 鈥渢hought everything would be perfect.鈥�听
鈥淢aybe this time during Christmas we鈥檒l have more than just a full bottle of Coca-Cola,鈥� Frimpong said. 鈥淏ut life wasn鈥檛 that easy and that鈥檚 when I realized as a little child that life is never easy and that you have to work for everything.鈥�听
Upon arriving in the Netherlands, Frimpong and his brother were illegal immigrants. They were not allowed to attend school for 13 years, nor were they allowed to have a job to help support their mother who was working two to three jobs of her own to pay lawyers who could keep the family together.听
Frimpong said that period of time wasn鈥檛 easy but he met some great people, and more importantly, he discovered sports which became his 鈥渃oping mechanism.鈥�听
It was track and field that first caught Frimpong鈥檚 attention and soon after, it was him who was catching the attention of others. Former Olympian Sammy Monsels discovered Frimpong running, and winning, a relay and took the then-15-year-old under his wing. After a year-and-a-half of training with Monsels鈥� club, Frimpong became a Dutch junior champion in the 200-meter sprint.听
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where the whole Olympic flame and dream was lit in me,鈥� Frimpong said.听
After a successful career at Utah Valley University where he helped the 4×100-meter relay team break the school record during the 2010 Great West Conference Championships before graduating with honors in 2013, Frimpong made the natural transition to bobsledding with the Netherlands National Bobsled Team training nearby.听
The essentials of track 鈥� speed, power and athleticism 鈥� directly translate to both bobsleigh and skeleton. Frimpong describes skeleton as 鈥渄iving headfirst on your belly on a cookie-sheet sled.鈥�听
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going headfirst 80-90 MPH,鈥� Frimpong said of skeleton. 鈥淛ust imagine you鈥檙e going on the freeway as fast as possible, headfirst and without things covering you (aside from a helmet). It鈥檚 basically like having five or six of your best friends sit on top of you. That鈥檚 the pressure that we feel when we鈥檙e going headfirst for about a mile long.鈥�听
Frimpong made history in 2018 when he became the first Black male skeleton athlete in Olympic history and just the second Winter Olympian from Ghana. He said he felt grateful for the opportunity to empower people from Ghana to get out of their comfort and go after their wildest dreams.
听鈥淭hat experience will never leave me,鈥� Frimpong said.听
Frimpong was hoping for that same experience again in 2022 — especially after he made more history in February 2020 as the first skeleton athlete from Africa to win an elite skeleton race sanctioned by the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation 鈥� but it appears that opportunity has vanished.听
Made history for 馃嚞馃嚟 winning my first international skeleton race during the 2020 USA Western Regionals in ParkCity, Utah. This win is for anyone that was ever told that their dreams are unattainable. Thank you to all my sponsors.
— Akwasi Frimpong OLY (@FrimpongAkwasi)
Training since 2018 for the Beijing 2022 Games, Frimpong moved up in the skeleton world ranking to 62nd, just outside of the top 60 which is a prerequisite to qualify for the Olympics. He was in Germany attempting to crack the top 60 and qualify for Beijing when Frimpong, who is vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 29, 2021.听
Forced to withdraw from his last three qualifying races, Frimpong鈥檚 standing outside of the top 60 eliminated him from qualification despite the fact that he qualified for the 2018 Olympics ranked 99th.听
Frimpong competed at PyeongChang2018 thanks to the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) continental quota system designed to broaden participation for underrepresented continents. That system was dropped in 2019, and despite efforts from Frimpong, his coaches and Winter Olympic stars, the IOC has refused to change its stance.听
Frimpong doesn鈥檛 want a free ride to the Olympics 鈥� and he likely would鈥檝e qualified outright if he had not contracted COVID-19 before his final qualifying races 鈥� but he urged the IOC in a letter sent back in 2019 to make it difficult, but not impossible, for African athletes to qualify for the Winter Olympics who are already at a disadvantage.听
鈥淲e are still 100 years behind European and some of the developed athletes,鈥� Frimpong said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no level playing field if you keep making it almost impossible (to qualify). That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 very important to have the continental (quota) representation, not for people to just show up or a free pass, but to make it possible for us to represent our continent. That鈥檚 something that we鈥檙e fighting for.鈥�听
It鈥檚 a head-scratching predicament Frimpong is in. He qualified for the Olympics just four years prior as the world鈥檚 99th-ranked skeleton athlete, but despite improving his standing by more than 30 spots, being Africa鈥檚 best and beating athletes from developed countries in the meantime, his chance at a return has been denied.听
It makes things all the more frustrating when the uphill battle African Winter Olympic athletes face is considered.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 funding, it鈥檚 lack of resources, lack of dedicated coaching; there鈥檚 just so much that comes into place that a lot of people don鈥檛 think about,鈥� Frimpong said. 鈥淎ll the things that we even have to do as an African athlete to be able to even participate is a real uphill battle.鈥�
Broken, but not shattered!
I gave everything to represent the people of Africa & underdogs all over the world, and in the end it was the fight that really mattered.听
I thank all who fought with me. 馃檹馃徔
Best wishes to all athletes going to Beijing! Go & make your country proud 馃挭馃従.— Akwasi Frimpong OLY (@FrimpongAkwasi)
Frimpong said he doesn鈥檛 know if his efforts will create change within the IOC, but he hopes at the very least that his message brings about awareness. As the Winter Olympics begin in Beijing this week, there will be a handful of deserving athletes forced to watch from home, and that reality doesn鈥檛 align with the Olympic.听
鈥淲e are here fighting for the greater good; it鈥檚 the bigger picture and it鈥檚 more than me,鈥� Frimpong said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about the next generation, it鈥檚 about inclusiveness, it鈥檚 about the Olympic charter, it鈥檚 about their motto of togetherness and I think they need to hold their bargain. I think they need to practice what they preach.鈥�