Olympics and the Spirit of Giving
Friday February 24, 2006
Joey Cheek donated both his gold and silver medal bonuses, a total of $40,000 to Right to Play,
an athlete-driven humanitarian organization with a presence here in
Torino at the athlete's village. Right to Play uses sport and play to
improve the lives of children in the world's most disadvantaged areas.
Cheek's donations are targeted to go to the Sudan in Africa.
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Olympic
Skier Mathieu Razanakolona's quest has been compared to that of the
Jamaican bobsled team, but Mathieu insists he comes to Torino well
prepared in his sport. Still, his primary goal is to focus the
spotlight on Madagascar, a country with magnificent natural resouces
that also happens to be one of the poorest countries in the world--70
per cent of its population lives below the poverty lever.
Mathieu and his brother Philippe run rAaAlpin.org, a non-profit developed to aide development in Madagascar. Take a look at the site. Maybe buy a tee shirt. You've always wanted one from a country other people can't find on a map, haven't you?
C'mon, you know Madagascar! It's the country that produces a majority of the world's real Vanilla--you know, that smell that cookie companies spray in the air so that you'll feel compelled to buy the little baked dough-droppings guaranteed to rot your teeth.
Mathieu Razanakolona will compete Saturday in the Slalom. He's probably not going to knock the leaders off the board, but he's not chopped liver when it comes to skiing either; in 2004 he finished second in the slalom in the Quebec junior championship, and in 2005 he finished with enough points in slalom and giant slalom in FIS races to qualify for the Olympics.
What do people here say when they learn he's from Madagascar? "Madagascar! I want pins!"
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Find out more about African Athletes at the Winter Olympics.
Cheek's donations are targeted to go to the Sudan in Africa.
-----
Olympic
Skier Mathieu Razanakolona's quest has been compared to that of the
Jamaican bobsled team, but Mathieu insists he comes to Torino well
prepared in his sport. Still, his primary goal is to focus the
spotlight on Madagascar, a country with magnificent natural resouces
that also happens to be one of the poorest countries in the world--70
per cent of its population lives below the poverty lever. Mathieu and his brother Philippe run rAaAlpin.org, a non-profit developed to aide development in Madagascar. Take a look at the site. Maybe buy a tee shirt. You've always wanted one from a country other people can't find on a map, haven't you?
C'mon, you know Madagascar! It's the country that produces a majority of the world's real Vanilla--you know, that smell that cookie companies spray in the air so that you'll feel compelled to buy the little baked dough-droppings guaranteed to rot your teeth.
Mathieu Razanakolona will compete Saturday in the Slalom. He's probably not going to knock the leaders off the board, but he's not chopped liver when it comes to skiing either; in 2004 he finished second in the slalom in the Quebec junior championship, and in 2005 he finished with enough points in slalom and giant slalom in FIS races to qualify for the Olympics.
What do people here say when they learn he's from Madagascar? "Madagascar! I want pins!"
------------------
Find out more about African Athletes at the Winter Olympics.
Picture of Skier Mathieu Razanakolona © 2006 by James Martin | Olympics Pictures
Comments
I really enjoyed the music used for Susanna Poykio’s long program. Can someone tell me what it was/who did it so I can get a copy?
Thanks!
Christopher
“Romeo and Juliet” by Nino Rota.;)
That’s cool, James, nice story, and , c’mon, check the website, buy a shirt.
These are all the ‘good’ stories we haven’t heard enough about, Bravo, James.
Thanks, marty. There aren’t enough upbeat comments either!
james
James the olympics guy: bravissimo blogger! In contrast to the horrible and moronic NBC Olympics coverage and commentary, your comments are intelligent, always humane, and your blog is a pleasure to read. I don’t agree with everything you say–but you say it all very well and thoughtfully, which is what counts. I think there have been many heart-warming stories from these Olympics, and so many of the competitors are brave, funny, wonderful role models. You seem to have your eyes open for such scenes, and that’s great. Have you thought about continuing this blog after the Torino Olympics are over?
Grazie JJ. I don’t think the blog will continue–but I’m not in control of these things either.
I wanted to focus more on the things the “big” press didn’t cover well (or at all). It was more difficult than I thought. There just aren’t enough hours in a day to do all I wanted to do. And there are restrictions I wasn’t aware of when I came here–like I can’t use a camera that looks “professional” at any of the venues. That’s because only registered photographers can use a professional camera at the Olympics, writers must use pocket cameras or nothing. Odd, no? But they have a history of protecting each profession from each other. Sometimes I can convince them that it’s a new age, and bloggers need good pictures, but often my pleas go unheaded.
Best,
james