Colombia at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Sporting event delegation

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

Silver

Bronze

Total

Winter Olympics appearances (overview)

* 2010
* 2014
* 2018
* 2022
* 2026

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.

## Background

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

1. ^ [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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c "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.

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Colombia at the Olympics

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