Olympic Watch: Akwasi Frimpong
Here’s another fascinating immigration story from the Olympics in Pyeongchang. Akwasi Frimpong left Ghana for the Netherlands when he was just eight. He found tremendous success as a track athlete in his adopted country, but he wasn’t able to compete internationally under a Dutch flag because, as it turned out, he was an irregular migrant.
In 2008, Frimpong finally received a Dutch passport and the freedom to compete on the international stage. But an injury meant that competition would not be on the field. Instead, Frimpong headed to the ice. He started as a bobsled brakeman and then found his way to the sport of skeleton.
At Pyeongchang, Frimpong is competing not as a Dutchman but as a Ghanaian. He told CNN: “I hope I can motivate kids in Ghana to chase their dreams.”
-KitJ