Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong
Encyclopedia
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong (born 19 December 1974) nicknamed "The Snow Leopard", is a Ghana
ian skiier
and is the first person from Ghana to take part in the Winter Olympics, at the 2010 Games
held in Vancouver
, Canada
, taking part in the slalom
. He finished 53rd out of 102 participants of whom 54 finished.
, Scotland
, where his father was working towards a doctorate
. As a child, he moved away from Glasgow to Ghana, to a town an hour away from Accra
, the capital. He became a safari
guide and later moved to England
in 2000. In 2002, he took a job as a receptionist at the Xscape skiing centre in Milton Keynes
, where he began to practice skiing.
In 2005, Nkrumah-Acheampong attempted to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, Italy
. However, he failed to arrive at the qualifying stages being held in Iran
because his flight was grounded in Amsterdam
in the Netherlands
because of ice on the wings. In 2009, he successfully managed to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, scoring 137.5 International Ski Federation
points, within the qualifying range of 120-140 points. Nkrumah-Acheampong took part in the men's slalom where he finished 53rd out of 102 competitors, 54 of whom finished.
Nkrumah-Acheampong is supporting projects to promote winter sports in Ghana. He set up the Ghanaian Winter Olympic Association, and has secured government backing to build Ghana's first artificial ski slope, which is planned to be built in the Akuapem Hills, Mamfe, and are planned to be finished in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics
in Sochi
, Russia
. Nkrumah-Acheampong is also supporting a range of charities, including Sabre, a British charity working in Ghana which builds schools in deprived areas. He also donates any spare sponsorship money to a charity helping to save the snow leopard
from extinction
.
Canadian musician Ashley MacIsaac
also wrote a charity single, "Dreams", to benefit Nkrumah-Acheampong and his charitable efforts. In addition to Canadian musicians Matthew Harder of the band House of Doc and Geoffrey Kelly
, Vince Ditrich
and Tobin Frank
of the band Spirit of the West
, Nkrumah-Acheampong himself participated in the recording, playing traditional Ghanaian percussion. The single, credited to The Parallel Band, was released to iTunes
on February 19, 2010.
in Milton Keynes. They have two children, daughter Ellice and son Jason. He is not related to the former Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah
.
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong trained at the Mount Washington Alpine Resort
on Vancouver Island
for the 2010 Winter Olympics
from Jan 31 to Feb 9th in Vancouver
, British Columbia
.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian skiier
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and is the first person from Ghana to take part in the Winter Olympics, at the 2010 Games
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
held in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, taking part in the slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
. He finished 53rd out of 102 participants of whom 54 finished.
Early life
Nkrumah-Acheampong was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where his father was working towards a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
. As a child, he moved away from Glasgow to Ghana, to a town an hour away from Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, the capital. He became a safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
guide and later moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 2000. In 2002, he took a job as a receptionist at the Xscape skiing centre in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, where he began to practice skiing.
Career
At the Ski Show in 2004 Kwame and his coach met Fergie Miller, Director of Adventure Training specialists [Base Camp Group]. He had apprached them, thoroughly intrigued by their Ghana Ski Team Jackets. After hearing of their extraordinary ambitions of competing in the Olympic Games, Fergie decided to help in any way he could. Base Camp sent Kwame out to Meribel on one of their courses, a trip which would be Kwames first steps on real snow. Kwame was somewhat anxious at the sheer scale of the slopes and mountains but after a few runs he was more than confident and he progressed in leaps and bounds.In 2005, Nkrumah-Acheampong attempted to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. However, he failed to arrive at the qualifying stages being held in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
because his flight was grounded in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
because of ice on the wings. In 2009, he successfully managed to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, scoring 137.5 International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
points, within the qualifying range of 120-140 points. Nkrumah-Acheampong took part in the men's slalom where he finished 53rd out of 102 competitors, 54 of whom finished.
Nkrumah-Acheampong is supporting projects to promote winter sports in Ghana. He set up the Ghanaian Winter Olympic Association, and has secured government backing to build Ghana's first artificial ski slope, which is planned to be built in the Akuapem Hills, Mamfe, and are planned to be finished in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
in Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Nkrumah-Acheampong is also supporting a range of charities, including Sabre, a British charity working in Ghana which builds schools in deprived areas. He also donates any spare sponsorship money to a charity helping to save the snow leopard
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
from extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
.
Canadian musician Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
also wrote a charity single, "Dreams", to benefit Nkrumah-Acheampong and his charitable efforts. In addition to Canadian musicians Matthew Harder of the band House of Doc and Geoffrey Kelly
Geoffrey Kelly
Geoffrey Kelly is a Canadian rock musician.He plays guitars, flutes and bodhran for the folk rock band Spirit of the West, for whom he is also the lead vocalist on some songs. He and John Mann are the band's primary songwriters.Kelly is also a full time member of The Paperboys, and released a solo...
, Vince Ditrich
Vince Ditrich
Vince Ditrich is a Canadian rock musician.A drummer, Ditrich has played with a variety of musicians, including pre-Odds bands with Doug Elliott and Steven Drake, Long John Baldry, Paul Hyde, Sue Medley, Mae Moore, Great Big Sea and Doug and the Slugs.In late 1989, he joined Spirit of the West, and...
and Tobin Frank
Tobin Frank
Tobin Frank is a Canadian musician, who records, performs and tours with the bands Spirit of the West and The Paperboys. Primarily a bass guitarist, Frank also plays some accordion and keyboard parts....
of the band Spirit of the West
Spirit of the West
Spirit of the West are a Canadian folk rock band, who were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which made them one of Canada's most successful alternative rock acts in the 1990s.-Early years:The band began...
, Nkrumah-Acheampong himself participated in the recording, playing traditional Ghanaian percussion. The single, credited to The Parallel Band, was released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on February 19, 2010.
Personal life
Nkrumah-Acheampong is married to his wife Sena, who works as a secretary at the Open UniversityOpen University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
in Milton Keynes. They have two children, daughter Ellice and son Jason. He is not related to the former Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
.
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong trained at the Mount Washington Alpine Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort is an alpine skiing ski resort located on Mount Washington on the eastern edge of the Vancouver Island Ranges in British Columbia, Canada...
on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
from Jan 31 to Feb 9th in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
See also
- Ghana at the 2010 Winter OlympicsGhana at the 2010 Winter OlympicsGhana made their Winter Olympic Games debut at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.Ghana sent one athlete, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, to compete in one discipline, alpine skiing. Nkrumah-Acheampong, also known as the "Snow Leopard", was born in Scotland and raised in Ghana. He moved to England in...
- Tropical nations at the Winter OlympicsTropical nations at the Winter OlympicsAlthough traditionally associated with cold weather nations, the Winter Olympics have also had participation from several tropical nations. The typical climate of these nations is not conducive to participation in winter sports, and no Winter Olympic medals have ever been won by a tropical nation...
- Jamaica national bobsled teamJamaica national bobsled teamThe Jamaican national bobsleigh team represents Jamaica in international bobsledding competitions. The team first gained fame during their debut in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they gained international fame as the ultimate underdogs, representing a tropical...
- Eric "The Eel" MoussambaniEric MoussambaniEric Moussambani Malonga is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea. Nicknamed "Eric the Eel" by the media after the name first appeared in an article by Craig Lord in The Times newspaper in London, Moussambani won brief international fame at the 2000 Summer Olympics when he swam his heat of the...
- Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards