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E-mail Xinhua, January 21, 2025
TURIN, Italy, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- For Esther Owusua Appiah Fei from Ghana, her first encounter with winter sports felt like a natural fit.
Esther arrived in Turin, Italy, to report on the Winter Universiade as part of the International University Sports Federation-International Sports Press Association (FISU-AIPS) Youth Journalist Program. She was captivated by her first glimpse of snow and skiing.
"It feels like I'm in a refrigerator," she told Xinhua. "It was amazing."
A communications major with experience covering football in Africa, Esther was one of six young journalists selected for the program.
In her hometown, winter sports are virtually unknown. But Esther's experience in Turin highlighted the potential for Africa to embrace these sports.
"Some African countries in North Africa have winter, but I wasn't happy about not seeing any African country represented here. That has to change," she said. Esther hopes to raise awareness about winter sports in Africa and inspire greater participation.
Veronica Garcia from Mexico, another program participant, also saw snow for the first time during the Winter Universiade. A recent communications graduate and former swimmer who represented Mexico at the Youth Olympic Games, Garcia described her reaction.
"I never imagined that snow in real life would be so beautiful," she said.
Garcia was thrilled to see her country represented at the Winter Universiade by an ice skater. Her background in sports and journalism has equipped her to craft compelling sports stories. She previously covered swimming events and interviewed Chinese athletes Zhang Yufei, Qin Haiyang, and Pan Zhanle, praising their openness and friendliness toward journalists.
"Every journalist here has such a unique style, and I'm learning so much from them," she said. "I feel like we're just one big, happy family."
Garcia noted that winter sports remain underdeveloped in Mexico, but she believes early exposure is key to fostering interest among young people. This motivates her to continue her work in sports journalism.
Founded in 2011, the FISU-AIPS Youth Journalist Program recruits passionate young journalists from around the world to cover major events. This year, the program included participants from Ghana, Mexico, China, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Canada, with their articles featured on the FISU website. Enditem
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