Still Rooting for Everybody Black: A Guide to the 2018 Winter Olympics
Let’s get one thing straight: The Winter Olympics are still really white. From the white ass snow mountains in Pyeongchang, to the white ass athletes themselves, the Winter Olympics are typically dominated by white people who’s families are fairly wealthy. This year though, there are a number of black athletes competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, and we are here for it.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has made a significant effort to diversify each Olympic sport, and while progress is slow, it is showing. Team USA has 11 Asian American, ten African American and two openly gay athletes on its roster. While Team USA has a total of 243 athletes on its roster (I know what you’re thinking, #OlympicsSoWhite right?), it’s the highest number of athletes of color on a USA Winter Olympic roster which is good progress. Overall, forty-one of the 2,952 competing athletes are black.
There will also be eight African nations represented at the Winter Olympics, with Nigeria and Eritrea making their Winter Olympics debut. This is the highest number of African nations represented at a Winter Olympics since they started sending athletes in 1960 (when South Africa, under apartheid rule, sent their first roster of an all-white team). Thirteen athletes, the highest number the continent has sent to a Winter Olympics since 1994, will represent these eight nations, including Eritrea, Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, Ghana, Madagascar, South Africa, and Togo.
So here’s a guide to who you should be rooting for during the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Olympics begin on Feb. 9 and end on Feb. 25.
