Some competitors have been able to make it to the Olympics in part because of a change in qualifying criteria aimed at producing a more diverse field a change that has garnered scrutiny.
Several skiers representing countries with little snow are making their Olympic debut in Beijing, partly because of a diversity initiative that has generated controversy.
The Thailand Winter Games delegates
YANQING It’s not only Asa Miller who’s chasing for the Philippines its first Winter Olympics medal in Beijing 2022, but there are seven more from Southeast Asia a fully tropical region on this side of the planet.
Timor Leste, Thailand and Malaysia are represe
YANQING, China The Philippines prides itself as the first tropical country to compete in the Winter Olympics when cousins Ben Nanasca and Juan Cipriano campaigned in the 1972 Sapporo edition. They set the tone for their countrymen to aim for the Winter Games and the country saw its athletes compete in…
YANQING, China - It's not only Asa Miller who's chasing for the Philippines its first Winter Olympics medal in Beijing 2022, but there are seven more from Southeast Asia-a fully tropical region on this side of the planet. Timor Leste, Thailand and Malaysia are represented in these Beijing Games with most of their athletes competing alongside the Filipino-American Miller in alpine skiing. Miller's on his second consecutive Games, but someone else from the region has campaigned in three straight editions. Yohan Goutt Goncalves, a French-East Timorese, has been chasing his Olympic dream since Sochi 2014 and looks at Sunday's men's giant slalom with a potential shot at the podium just like the Portland-based Miller. Thailand has the most qualifiers with four-Zanon Nicola (men's alpine skiing) Jaiman Mida Fah (women's alpine skiing), Mark Chanloung (cross country skiing) and his sister Karen (cross country skiing). Alpine skiers Jeffrey Webb and Aruwin Salehhudin