Three young Thai athletes are hoping to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. The Thais are practicing cross-country skiing in Higashikawa, a town in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.

The three athletes, who are all in their 20s, have been in Higashikawa since October of last year as part of the government’s program to help train cross-country skiers who live in snow-free countries. The program will run until March of 2016.

Higashikawa’s government has set aside a budget of 1.9 million baht to fund the program, which will offer skis and other equipment. Lodging is also provided in a government-owned dormitory.

The town is situated at the foot of the Daisetsuzan National Park where skiing is available from late October through May. Higashikawa launched its training program in hopes of promoting the cross-country skiing sport in snow-free countries. The town also hopes to gain recognition for training athletes from snow-free countries who compete in the Olympics. Higashikawa also accepts foreign students hoping to learn Japanese.

Before their visit to Higashikawa, the three Thai athletes had never skied before. However, they were chosen by the Thai government to enter the program because of their willingness to learn the sport and their commendable athletic ability. Higashikawa has arranged for a team of five coaches to help train the three athletes, including Yoshiyuki Yanbe, a former national coach.

While the Thais have hopes of competing in the Olympics, they remained focused on international competitions for the time-being. The three hope to participate in competitions authorized by the International Ski Federation. The oldest of the three athletes, Chehleh Arisaman (24), said they’ve received a lot of support and that they will practice hard to compete in the 2018 winter games.

The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea and will run from February 9 – March 18.

-- 2015-03-26

I wonder if Vanessa Mae will be joining them?

I wonder if Vanessa Mae will be joining them?

She must have a lot of good advice on how to qualify without actually qualifying.