Are: African racers lash out at FIS for qualifiers

Senegal and Ghana lashed out at organizers at the Alpine Skiing World Championships for adding a qualification run for the slalom race, saying it was unfair to smaller countries that would not make the main event.
ARE, Sweden — Senegal and Ghana lashed out at organizers at the Alpine Skiing World Championships for adding a qualification run for the slalom race, saying it was unfair to smaller countries that would not make the main event.
    Representatives from the two countries intended to withdraw their skiers from the slalom race as a protest, and accused the International Ski Federation of not wanting Africans to compete at the worlds.
    “Is this the World Championships or is this ‘a small part of the world’ championships?” said Lamine Gueye, president of Senegal’s skiing federation. “They close all the doors. They don’t want us. … This is not acceptable.”
    The uproar from African skiers came after organizers decided late on Saturday that only the 50 top-ranked skiers were guaranteed a spot in Saturday’s slalom race. The rest will have to qualify for the last 25 spots.
    Before the championships, organizers had already announced a similar qualification for the giant slalom, and had also informed all participating nations that a qualifier could be added to the slalom if more than 140 racers registered for the event.
    “All we’ve done here is to implement the rules that had been agreed (upon),” FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis said.
    However, Ghana skier Kwame Nkrumah Acheampong said he was told by organizers ahead of the worlds that no qualifier would be necessary for the slalom.
    “The whole thing is just rotten,” he said. “I came all the way here for nothing.”
    Acheampong said he was racing the GS qualifier, but that his wife and 3-year-old daughter were flying in after to watch him compete in the slalom. But they will miss Thursday’s slalom qualifier, and Acheampong said he would pull out of the competition because he did not expect to advance to the main event.
    “So they come here and sit for three days and do nothing,” he said.
    Gueye and Acheampong held a heated discussion with organizers at a meeting Sunday, pleading for a chance to compete in Friday's race.
    But race director Guenter Hujara said the possibility of a slalom qualifier was clearly explained in the rules for the championships.
    “In this case, I have to say ‘Sorry,’ ” Hujara said.
    “‘Sorry’ doesn't do anything for my budget,” Acheampong replied.
    Lewis said she sympathized, but that competitions suffer when there are too many racers.
    “With so many competitors, we haven’t got a chance to get it finished in less than 2 1/2 to 3 hours. And then we won’t be able to run the second run according to the schedule.”
    She said broadcasters also wanted to see fewer racers in the main events. She said at the last two championships, the flower ceremony took place 90 minutes after the winner was decided.
    “By then, many spectators had left, and the TVs were all out. We have to think of the world champions and having a worthy recognition of their achievements,” she said.
    Acheampong will compete in the giant slalom qualifier, but Gueye said Senegal’s only skier, Leyti Seck, would withdraw from both remaining races.
    “They have the small race for the small guy,” Gueye said. “It is not the way to treat people.”

— The Associated Press