The West African country of Togo competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, held from 7 to 23 February 2014. It was the nation's first appearance at the Winter Olympics. The Togolese delegation consisted of two women athletes in two sports: Alessia Afi Dipol in alpine skiing and Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean in cross-country skiing. Petitjean was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony, while Dipol was the flag bearer for the closing ceremony. Neither athlete was able to secure a medal in their Olympic debut.
| Togo at the 2014 Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | TOG |
| NOC | Comité National Olympique Togolais |
| in Sochi | |
| Competitors | 2 in 2 sports |
| Flag bearer (opening) | Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Alessia Afi Dipol |
| Medals |
|
| Winter Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Background
editTogo made its first appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1972, but it had never sent a delegation to the Winter Olympics prior to 2014.[1][2] Kelani Bayor, the then vice president of the Togo Olympic Committee, emphasised the importance of the Togolese diaspora in making Togo's debut at the winter games possible, as the country has no snow.[3] Togo has a tropical climate and a temperature range of 22 to 32 °C (72 to 90 °F).[4] Accordingly, neither of the two Togolese athletes grew up or trained in the country.[5]
Alessia Afi Dipol was naturalised as a Togolese citizen just prior to the games. Born and raised in Pieve di Cadore, in Veneto, Italy, Dipol had only been to Togo once before her Olympic debut. She explained that she chose to represent Togo because her father owns a sport clothing factory in the country.[6][7]
Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean, meanwhile, was born in Niger to a Togolese mother and spent the majority of her life in Haute-Savoie, France, where she learned to ski. Petitjean's maternal lineage allowed her the opportunity to compete for Togo. The Togolese Ski Federation contacted Petitjean via Facebook in March 2013 and asked her to compete for the country at the Winter Olympics, to which she agreed.[8]
Both athletes qualified through the Olympic quota allocation system.[9] Petitjean was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony, while Dipol was selected as the flag bearer for the closing ceremony.[10][11]
Alpine skiing
editAlessia Afi Dipol was 18 years old at the time of her Olympic debut in Sochi.[6] In the first run of the women's giant slalom race, held on 18 February, Dipol placed 60th with a time of 1 minute and 31.66 seconds. In her second run, she placed 53rd with a time of 1 minute and 31.14 seconds. She ultimately finished 55th out of 74 competitors in the event, with a total time of 3 minutes and 2.8 seconds.[12][13] She did not finish the women's slalom race, held on 21 February, after starting the first run.[14]
| Athlete | Event | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Alessia Afi Dipol | Women's giant slalom | 1:31.66 | 60 | 1:31.14 | 53 | 3:02.80 | 55 |
| Women's slalom | DNF | ||||||
Cross-country skiing
editMathilde-Amivi Petitjean was 19 years old at the time of her Olympic debut in Sochi.[8][15] She competed in the women's 10 kilometre classical race on 13 February and finished 68th out of 75 competitors with a time of 37 minutes and 26.7 seconds, nearly ten minutes behind the winner, Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland.[16][17] Petitjean expressed hope that her appearance at the games would inspire other African youth to participate in winter sports.[17]
| Athlete | Event | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Deficit | Rank | ||
| Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean | Women's 10 km classical | 37:26.7 | +9:08.9 | 68 |
References
edit- ^ "Togo at the 1972 Munich Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Togo's first Winter Olympian aims to inspire". Associated Press. 13 February 2014. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024 – via ESPN.
- ^ "We're here to win medals, say Togo". Agence France-Presse. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2024 – via Yahoo News.
- ^ "Togo". UNDP Climate Change Adaptation. United Nations Development Programme. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ McNicoll, Tracy (9 February 2018). "Five rings, one dream: African athletes' winding road to PyeongChang Winter Games". France 24. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ a b Zidda, Giovanni (31 January 2014). "Une skieuse italienne porte-drapeau pour le Togo à Sotchi" [An Italian skier flag bearer for Togo in Sochi]. RTBF (in French). Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ "Togolese from Italy, Brazilians who can't speak Portuguese – meet the Olympics' 'exotic' athletes". Reuters. 18 February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024 – via Yahoo Sports.
- ^ a b Spillane, Chris; Woussou, Kossi (7 February 2014). "Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean skis cross-country from France to Sochi via Togo". Sydney Morning Herald. Johannesburg, South Africa. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Summary of Quota allocation as per 20.1.2014" (PDF). International Ski Federation. 20 January 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony – Flagbearers" (PDF). Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. 7 February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 Closing Ceremony – Flagbearers" (PDF). Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. 23 February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Ladies' Giant Slalom – Official Results" (PDF). Sochi, Russia: International Ski Federation. 18 February 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ Mumuni, Moutakilou (18 February 2014). "Togo: Sochi 2014 / Giant Slalom – Togo's Alessia Dipol 55th Overall, Tina Maze Snatches Gold". allAfrica. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ Basu, Anand (21 February 2014). "Olympics – Alpine skiing – Women's slalom first run results". Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ Mumuni, Moutakilou (16 January 2014). "Togo: Sochi Olympics 2014 – Mathilde Petitjean Amivi Proud to Represent Togo". allAfrica. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Cross-Country – Ladies' 10km Classic: Results" (PDF). Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ a b Willemsen, Eric (13 February 2014). "Togo's 1st Winter Olympian Wants to Inspire Africa". Associated Press. Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Russia. Retrieved 26 October 2024 – via The Seattle Times.
External links
edit- Togo at the 2014 Winter Olympics (Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine)