African nations make history with Winter Olympic competitors

The 2018 Winter Olympic Games have officially begun in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with a spectacular light show and the traditional parade of athletes entering the Olympic stadium.

This year, Nigeria has its first team in the Winter Games — a women’s bobsled team. They’ll be hurtling down the ice at speeds of 150 kilometers an hour.

Other athletes originally from Africa will be making history at the games, the VOA reports.

Akwasi Frimpong will represent Ghana on the skeleton, a small sled that rockets down the icy course. Simidele Adeagbo will be Nigeria’s first female skeleton competitor. Eritrea has its first competitor, skier Shannon Ogbani Abeda, who was born in Canada to Eritrean immigrants.

And Maame Biney, who was born in Ghana, has become a darling of the U.S. speed skating team.