Timor-Leste at the 2014 Winter Olympics

Timor-Leste at the
2014 Winter Olympics
IOC codeTLS
NOCNational Olympic Committee of Timor-Leste
in Sochi, Russia
7–23 February 2014
Competitors1 in 1 sport
Flag bearer (opening)Yohan Goutt Gonçalves
Flag bearer (closing)Yohan Goutt Gonçalves
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Winter Olympics appearances (overview)

Timor-Leste competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia, from 7 to 23 February 2014. It was the country's first appearance at the Winter Olympics. The Timorese delegation consisted of one male alpine skier, Yohan Goutt Gonçalves. He was Timor-Leste's flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Goutt Gonçalves did not secure a medal in his Olympic debut.

Background

Timor-Leste, a tropical nation, had never sent a delegation to the Winter Olympics prior to the 2014 Games.[1][2][3][4] The country made its official debut in the Summer Olympics at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece.[5]

Goutt Gonçalves, Timor-Leste's sole representative, was born in Paris to a French father and a Timorese mother.[3][6][7] When asked in an interview why he never tried to make the France alpine skiing team, Goutte Gonçalves replied: "It never crossed my mind, because [representing Timor-Leste is] a way of not losing the connection with my country. I have Timorese blood ... and I want to keep that connection."[7] He also commented that he wanted to shine "some positive light" on Timor-Leste.[7]

At a 29 December 2013 race in Serbia, Goutt Gonçalves managed to lower his International Ski Federation point total to below 140 (B standard), qualifying him for the Games.[1][8] This made him the first athlete from Timor-Leste at any Olympic Games to qualify by meeting the qualification standard, rather than by receiving a wild card, which Goutt Gonçalves had outright refused.[2] To compete at the Games, Goutt Gonçalves had to raise US$75,000, most of which came from himself and his family.[7] As the sole Timorese competitor, Goutt Gonçalves was selected as his country's flag bearer at both the opening and closing ceremonies.[9][10]

Alpine skiing

Main article: Alpine skiing at the 2014 Winter Olympics

According to the final quota allocation for alpine skiing released on 20 January 2014, Timor-Leste had one athlete who qualified for the event (Goutt Gonçalves).[11] Goutt Gonçalves was 19 years old at the time of his Olympic debut.[12] He competed in the men's slalom on 22 February. He placed 77th in the first run with a time of 1 minute and 9.01 seconds; in the second run, he placed 43rd with a time of 1 minute and 21.88 seconds. Overall, he finished 43rd out of the 43 competitors who completed the race, with a total time of 2 minutes and 30.89 seconds.[13]

Athlete Event Run 1 Run 2 Total
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Yohan Goutt Gonçalves Men's slalom 1:09.01 77 1:21.88 43 2:30.89 43

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Trouillard, Stéphanie (5 January 2014). "The skier taking East Timor to the Winter Olympics". France 24. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b Jones, Ruby (7 January 2014). "Even cooler runnings as skier from tropical East Timor qualifies for Winter Olympics". ABC Online. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b Passa, Dennis (29 November 2013). "One man's journey from tropical East Timor to the Winter Olympics". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  4. ^ Moores, Grace (30 January 2014). "Tiny Pacific nation to make Winter Olympic debut". Thrive Sports. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Timor-Leste represented for the first time at the Winter Olympic Games". Government of Timor-Leste. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  6. ^ Waters, Luke (26 August 2013). "East Timor skier eyes winter Olympics". Special Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d Fendrich, Howard (18 February 2014). "East Timor's 1st Winter Olympian gets set to ski". Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Russia. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 February 2014 – via The Washington Post.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ^ Lemon, Geoff (21 February 2014). "Sochi 2014: Timor Leste's lone skier offers a breath of fresh Olympic air". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony – Flagbearers" (PDF). Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. 7 February 2014. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  10. ^ "Sochi 2014 Closing Ceremony – Flagbearers" (PDF). International Olympic Committee (IOC). 23 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Summary of Quota allocation as per 20.1.2014" (PDF). International Ski Federation. 20 January 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  12. ^ Dampf, Andrew; Fendrich, Howard. "19-year-old skier ready to become East Timor's first Winter Olympian". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 August 2025 – via Global News.
  13. ^ "Alpine Skiing – Men's Slalom: Official Results" (PDF). Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
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