OLYMPICS: Alpine skiing-Kenyan Laborde ready for debut after compatriot forced to drop out

BORMIO, Italy – Kenya will have a new face on the Olympic slopes as 18-year-old skier Issa Laborde prepares to make his debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Laborde’s appearance comes after compatriot Sabrina Simader withdrew from her events due to financial constraints.

Laborde, who grew up in France to a French father and a Kenyan mother, has received support from the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity fund, which helps cover training camps and other expenses.

“Things are far from perfect,” Laborde admitted. “In Africa, it’s just the beginning, so there are a lot of things to improve. There are a lot of financial problems.”

Simader, who made history as Kenya’s first alpine skier at the 2018 Olympics, had planned to return from retirement for the Milano Cortina Games but had to pull out due to lack of funding. Laborde said Simader encouraged him to focus on his own journey and gave him strength to compete.

Not Living in Kenya

Laborde, a high school senior, started skiing as a toddler thanks to his father, who worked in mountain rescue in France. He has visited Kenya, his mother’s homeland, only three times—a story common among athletes representing smaller, warm-climate nations at the Winter Games.

“You'll see a lot of athletes from these small countries have actually been brought up in the Alps region or similar areas and have been able to access winter sports,” IOC Director of Olympic Solidarity James Macleod said in January. “Athletes representing countries they do not live in still help increase the reach and interest in winter sports.”

‘I Hope It’s the Beginning’ for African Nations

Laborde said he has received overwhelming support from Kenyans. “Since I was here, I have received a lot of love from Kenyan people. I’m really happy about that,” he said.

For Laborde, representing Kenya is about more than just skiing—it’s about paving the way for African nations in winter sports. “I hope it’s the beginning of something bigger for all African nations, especially for Kenya,” he said. “There are not a lot of Black people on the slopes, African people in general.”

Laborde’s focus for the giant slalom is simple: “For this Olympics, the goal of this season was to be here. So I achieved this part.” After the Games, he will return to France to focus on finishing his final year of high school. -Reporting by Marleen Kaesebier and Kurt Hall; additional reporting by Joyce Zhou in Bormio and Iain Axon in Milan; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters