A ski jump in Togo? Why not?

VAL DI FIEMME, February 23, 2013 - 'Work, Freedom, Fatherland' is the motto of Togo, a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea, located between Ghana and Benin. These days, however, a winter-sport fever prevails in a state where average temperatures of 27 to 30 degrees Celsius are recorded for twelve months. For at the Nordic World Ski Championship in Val di Fiemme, Togo is represented for the first time with a cross-country skier – Viossi-Akpedje Madja.

It is a small group of people, led by Eve-Roger Evenamede, the president of the Togolese Ski Federation, and his deputy Edorh Hyacinthe, who are advocating winter sports in their country. 'We are glad to be here in Val di Fiemme, because we need such events to continue gaining experience and improve,' says Evenamede. And you may believe it or not: 'That Togo is represented for the first time at a Nordic World Ski Championship makes our people super-happy.' Not only in Africa is it a topic; Team Togo has also been given extensive coverage in German TV media.

But it should not be just a one-off guest appearance. 'Our goal is to bring winter sports closer to the Togolese population on a permanent basis and give them the opportunity to learn more about it. Many Togolese live abroad who can ski – that's why we want to bring together, in a sense, different experiences of people from the same country,' says the president.
Recruiting winter athletes for Togo is also a social media project. 'On Facebook, Togolese or foreigners who want to compete for Togo can sign up,' Hyacinthe says. 'If we find a ski jumper, Togo will also appear on the lists of ski jumping applicants.' More about it at: http://www.facebook.com/TeamTogo.ski?ref=ts&fref=ts

Peter Riedel, who himself has conversations with businesspeople and prominent sports officials at the World Championship, did not miss the chance to get in touch with 'Team Togo.' After all, in Lomé, the capital, a mega-leisure park on two hectares is planned, where Togolese can get in touch with different kinds of winter sports and try the various disciplines. Evenamede and Hyacinthe were enthusiastic about the possibilities offered by Peter Riedel GmbH and promised, 'We will stay in touch!'