HARARE - A cross section of Zimbabwean public figures has reacted with awe at being represented at the Winter Olympic Games for the first time in the history of the country.
History-making Luke Steyn, a 20-year-old alpine skier, will be flying the flag of landlocked Zimbabwe, a country which according to records, last experienced snow, a mere morsel for that matter, more than 50 years ago.
Steyn was born in Harare but left the country aged two for Switzerland, where he was exposed to snow and skiing.
The 2014 Games are being held in Sochi, Russia.
“Go Luke go, do Zimbabwe proud,” posted ex-Zimbabwean Sports minister David Coltart on Facebook.
Coltart’s post drew a comment from legendary Liverpool and Zimbabwe goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, who remarked: “Pamberi Luke Steyn. Do yourself proud! The country follows!”
Tommy Sithole, a former top-ranking International Olympic Committee (IOC) official who is now secretary-general of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (Anoca), also posted a picture of Steyn holding a giant Zimbabwe glad during the opening ceremony of the Games on Friday:
“Not so lonely. We all cheered him all the way,” wrote Sithole.
Stand-up comedian Carl Joshua Ncube would not miss out on an opportunity to put a comical spin on it:
“It’s a matter of time before we hear someone on ZBC saying that we must support Luke Steyn at the Winter Olympics and when he comes back we must teach kids skiing at the grassroots and in the rural areas.”
Snow sports is still a relatively new phenomenon in Zimbabwe.
The recently formed The Zimbabwe Snow Sports Association is headed by Kevin Atkinson, the former Prince Edward headmaster who is now charge of St Georges College.