Dear Sponsor, FAN volunteer, athlete and winter sport enthusiast.
Just in case we have not been introduced, my name is Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong but my friends and fans refer to me as THE SNOWLEOPARD. I had the privilege of being the first person Ghana to compete in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in downhill alpine skiing. I managed to qualify for this prestigious sporting event after just about 6years of semi-professional skiing, which I began in my late 20s a time most professional skiers retire. What started out as an experiment spurred on by the fact that I was told several times that a person like me could never qualify for an Olympics how much more a Winter Olympics. I see myself as the one to open the door for the next generation of ‘Snowleopard Ski Athletes’ from Ghana.
To achieve the objectives of developing winter sports in Ghana it has become necessary to develop our own facility in Ghana and at the same time find a partner real snow alpine resort to assist with our development goals. We have been very fortunate to partner with Tourism Mount Washington, Mount Washington, and the Canadian Tourism Commission. This facility is to become a catalyst that will spark a winter sports movement in Ghana, while on the other hand bringing socio-economic development to the local area, causing a ripple effect in development and opportunities for local people.
With the proposed twinning of Mount Washington, Vancouver Island and the Mamfe, through the Senkwa Mamfe Alpine Ski Resort will begin various collaborations between the two communities that will bring about mutually beneficial interactions. It is said that charity begins at home and I have chosen one of my homes ‘Mamfe’ to initiate what I hope will be a catalyst of sport development and community prosperity, with the hope that not only the people of Mamfe but Ghana will benefit positively. Thus I am asking you to join me and the Ghana Ski Team for a roller coaster journey which will not only see another or maybe more snowleopards grace ski slopes in future Winter Olympics, but do so while touching people’s lives.