Colombia at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Colombia competed in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.^[1]

The Colombian delegation entering BC Place Stadium during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

Colombia at the 2010 Winter Olympics
IOC code	COL
NOC	Colombian Olympic Committee
Website	www.olimpicocol.co (in Spanish)
in Vancouver
Competitors	1 in 1 sport
Flag bearer	Cynthia Denzler
Medals	Gold 0 Silver 0 Bronze 0 Total 0
Winter Olympics appearances (overview)
2010 2014 2018 2022

Background

Colombia first participated in the Summer Olympics in 1932, with one athlete, Jorge Perry,^[2] when the Colombian Olympic Committee did not exist. The committee was formed in 1936.^[3] Between 1932 and 2010, Colombia competed in five Summer Olympics, winning eleven medals.^[4] In the late 1990s, President of Federation of Skating Carlos Orlando Ferreira proposed training for speed skating athletes, but this proposition was unsuccessful after a lack of funding.^[5] Colombia first participated in the Winter Olympics in 2010.^[6]

Preparations and arrival

The efforts of Hanspeter Denzler and Colombian Olympic Committee president and IOC member Andrés Botero led to the establishment of a Colombian ski team in 2007.^[7] In 2010, Colombia's delegation consisted of skier Cynthia Denzler, her father Hanspeter, and his brother Fabian, both of which served as coaches.^[8][9] The delegation flew to Vancouver on 10 February and stayed in the Olympic Village.^[10] Cynthia Denzler said, "it is an honour to compete for Colombia and I am happy to do so. Representing the country during the Winter Olympics is a good thing and a dream come true."^[11]

Ceremonies

Main articles: 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony and closing ceremony

Colombia was one of five nations from South America participating in these Winter Olympics.^[12] The opening ceremony was dedicated to Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died on the day of the opening ceremony in a fatal crash.^[13][14] Greece opened the parade of nations, followed by Canada.^[15] Colombia was the nineteenth of 82 delegations to enter the BC Place stadium, after China and before Croatia.^[12][16] Denzler was the flag bearer.^[12] At the closing ceremony, which took place at BC Place, the flag bearers formed a circle around the Olympic flame.^[17] The flagbearer again was Denzler.^[18]

Alpine skiing

Main article: Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Colombia assigned its sole delegate, Cynthia Denzler, to alpine skiing. Despite being born in California,^[7] she was allowed to compete for Colombia after her father became a citizen of the country.^[19]

Athlete	Event	Final
		Run 1	Run 2	Total	Rank
Cynthia Denzler	Giant slalom	DNF	—		DNF
	Slalom	1:01.14	1:01.25	2:02.39	51

References

1. Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
2. José Eduardo Rueda Enciso. "Hazañas y desengaños en la historia deportiva del país" (in Spanish). Credencial Historia. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
3. "El COC cumple 78 años" (in Spanish). Comité Olímpico Colombiano. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
4. "Colombia". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
5. "Colombia se estrena en los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno". El Espectador (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2014.
6. "Winter Olympics start despite luge tragedy". BBC Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2014.
7. "Representante de Colombia en Vancouver-2010 ignora el sabor de la guayaba y del café colombiano". El Tiempo. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
8. "Une Suissesse de Gryon offre les J.O. d'hiver à la Colombie" (PDF). Le Régional. 19 August 2009. p. 26. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
9. "Cynthia Denzler". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
10. Murat Karaali (10 February 2010). "Gryon en route pour les JO de Vancouver" (PDF) (in French). Le Régional. p. 20. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
11. "Cynthia Denzler, la única representante de Colombia en los Juegos de Invierno". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 11 February 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
12. "The Flagbearers of the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
13. "Colombia en Olímpicos de Invierno" (in Spanish). Coldeportes. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
14. "Death of Luge Athlete Kumaritashvili Casts Pall Over Olympics". The New York Times. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
15. "El tricolor en los Olímpicos de Invierno". El Colombiano. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
16. "La cérémonie d'ouverture des Jeux endeuillée par la mort d'un athlète". Libération. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
17. ""These Games have lifted us up," Furlong tells Olympians". Montreal Gazette. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
18. "The Flagbearers of the Vancouver 2010 Closing Ceremony" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
19. "Cynthia Denzler aseguró haber 'representando bien' a Colombia, su país de adopción". El Tiempo. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.