When Samuel Ikpefan finally marched into the National Stadium for the Closing Ceremony of the Beijing 2022, it felt like history closing a long, emotional circle.

Nigeria’s first-ever Winter Olympic skiing representative had missed the Opening Ceremony after testing positive for COVID-19. So sharing that final parade with athletes from around the world carried extra weight—for him, and for Africa’s most populous nation.

“Riding the high-speed train with athletes from all nations and sharing that magical moment was unforgettable,” Ikpefan told Olympics.com. He was Nigeria’s lone competitor at the Games, carrying the flag—and expectations—alone.

Ikpefan’s Olympic baptism was anything but smooth. A positive COVID-19 test just days before his first race forced him into isolation—three days confined to his room, followed by two more in a hotel for severe cases.

“I was in perfect health, so it was frightening,” he recalled. Released only two days before the competition, he had no time to acclimatise. He eventually abandoned the 15km classic race after burning too much energy early.

“It was a tough experience, but it taught me mental resilience.”

That resilience now fuels his push toward Milano Cortina 2026, where the 32-year-old France-born skier is determined to make a fuller statement.

“My goal is to compete in all individual cross-country events and give my absolute best—push my limits, maximise my capabilities, and proudly represent Nigeria while learning from the world’s toughest competition.”

Life beyond the Olympic tracks

After Beijing, Ikpefan channelled his energy into growth—both personal and communal. He began coaching and mentoring young skiers, staying close to the sport even as sponsorships and team support dried up.

“The journey hasn’t changed drastically, but the challenges have grown,” he said. “I continue to train with determination and keep my goals in sight.”

For Ikpefan, cross-country skiing is more than medals and results. It is a philosophy.

“It’s physically and mentally demanding. It teaches determination, humility and self-improvement. It connects you with nature and unites athletes from different backgrounds.”

That bond with skiing began early. Growing up near Annemasse in France, he started racing at seven or eight, drawn by the sport’s endurance demands and mental intensity.

Ikpefan’s athletic identity stretches far beyond skis. He swims, cycles, plays football, runs mountain trails and recently returned to tennis. At 15, he finished third in France’s national swimming championships in the 100m backstroke, while also competing in judo and football.

“These experiences shaped my discipline and mindset,” he said.

Off the field, he nurtures a broad curiosity—reading, visiting museums, cooking, playing board games, and exploring geopolitics and business ideas.

Opening doors for Nigeria

Ikpefan sees the Winter Olympics as sport at its purest.

“For two weeks, the magic of our inner child resurfaces. It’s a global celebration of humanity.”

But inspiring young Nigerians to take up skiing is no small task. Infrastructure is scarce, systems are thin, and winter sports remain culturally distant.

“My long-term goal is to make skiing more accessible to Nigerian youth, at home and abroad,” he said. “There are obstacles, but my journey shows that nothing is impossible.”

That belief is reinforced by support from Olympic Solidarity, which currently backs hundreds of athletes worldwide—Ikpefan among them—on the road to Milano Cortina 2026 through monthly training grants.

Being Nigeria’s first Olympic skier is a responsibility Ikpefan carries with pride.

“Representing a country rich in culture and diversity is a responsibility I cherish. It’s a way to honour my ancestors and inspire future generations.”

Medals, he admits, are hard for African athletes in winter sports—but not impossible.

“With the right systems, resources and determination, success is within reach.”

As the countdown to Milano Cortina 2026 gathers pace, Samuel Ikpefan is chasing more than results. He is carving a pathway—on snow and beyond—for Nigerians who may one day follow his tracks into winter’s rarefied world.

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Global sports leaders have reached consensus on a new set of eligibility criteria for transgender athletes, with the new policy expected to be announced within the first half of this year, the International Olympic Committee said on Saturday.

It would be the first uniform policy adopted by the IOC and international sports federations, applying to major events in dozens of sports, including the Games and world championships. Currently, federations have their own rules which can vary.

Details of the new policy are unclear but it is expected to severely restrict the participation of transgender athletes who compete in women’s categories if they have undergone full male puberty before any subsequent medical transition.

The IOC, under its first female president Kirsty Coventry, took the lead in June, opting for a uniform approach.

“Protecting the female category is one of the key reforms she wants to bring in,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a press conference at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games on Saturday.

“I would say it is going to happen shortly, within the next few months.”

“It has been out to consultation phase and we had the ‘pause and reflect’ (period) on it,” Adams said. “Generally speaking there is consensus within the sporting movement. I think you will have a new policy in the first half of this year. Don’t hold me to it, but that is roughly the timescale.”

In September, Coventry the ‘Protection of the Female Category’ working group, made up of experts as well as representatives of international federations, to look into how best to protect the female category in sports.

Before Coventry’s decision, the IOC had long baulked at any universal rule on transgender participation for the Games, instructing international federations in 2021 to come up with their own guidelines. Under current rules, still in force, transgender athletes are eligible to take part in the Olympics once cleared by their respective federations.

Only a handful of openly transgender athletes have taken part in the Games. New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in a different gender category to that assigned at birth when the weightlifter took part in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Currently, for example, World Aquatics allows transgender athletes who have transitioned before the age of 12, to compete. World Rugby bans all transgender athletes from elite-level competitions.

U.S. President Donald Trump has banned transgender athletes from competing in school, college and pro events in the female category in the United States, as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 summer Olympics.

Trump, who signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” order in February, has said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete at the LA Games.

-Reuters

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Nigeria may have no snow, but the country still made its presence felt as the Winter Olympics opened in Milano-Cortina, with Africa recording its strongest showing at the Games in years.

A total of 15 African athletes are taking part in this edition of the Winter Games, a significant increase from the six athletes representing five African countries at the Beijing 2022 WinterOlympics. The expanded participation highlights the continent’s growing footprint in winter sports traditionally dominated by nations from colder climates.

Nigeria is among the African nations represented, fielding a single athlete, as do Eritrea, Benin Republic, and Guinea-Bissau. Four other African countries, Morocco, South Africa, Madagascar, and Kenya  are each represented by two athletes.

Most of the African competitors will contest events in alpine skiing, while others are entered in cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, and skeleton, reflecting a broader spread across winter disciplines.

Nigeria’s sole representative, Samuel Uduigowme Ikpefan, will compete in cross-country skiing, carrying the nation’s flag in a competition far removed from its tropical climate.

Africa’s increased participation at Milano-Cortina underscores the continent’s determination to expand beyond its traditional sporting boundaries, even in environments where snow and ice are more symbolic than familiar.

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