Six African athletes competing in Beijing, and five who are not

At the Winter Games in Beijing there will be five African nations’ flags flying at the opening ceremony at the Bird’s Nest stadium on Feb. 4, with Madagascar the only country with two athletes.

In 2018, eight African nations were represented in South Korea, with historic firsts for Nigeria as Simidele Adeagbo became the nation’s first Winter Olympian when she took to the skeleton track.

ESPN looks at the six African athletes competing in China, as well as which names from the continent are missing from the record-breaking numbers in PyeongChang four years ago.

— Competition schedule in Beijing

— Medals table

Taking part in Beijing:

Samuel Ikpefan – Nigeria – Cross country skiing

Ikpefan, who was born in France and has a Nigerian father, will become Nigeria’s first male Winter Olympian and their first cross country skier when he competes in Beijing. He is the only African athlete to compete outside of alpine skiing this year.

Ikpefan, who got his Nigerian passport in 2016, told the Olympics website: “When I was at the World Championships I didn’t get a lot of attention, but it will be different when I represent Nigeria at the Winter Games. It has already happened with bobsleigh and skeleton but this time it’s cross-country skiing, and it’s a sport many people can take part in. Teaching my sport to the younger generation is my greatest source of pride.”

Carlos Maeder – Ghana – Alpine skiing

The Switzerland-raised slalom skier missed out on qualifying for PyeongChang, but at 43 years old this year, he will be bearing the flag for birth country Ghana in Beijing. He will be the oldest athlete in the alpine skiing field.

Shannon Abeda – Eritrea – Alpine skiing

Abeda was Eritrea’s athlete when they made their Winter Games debut in 2018, and he will again be their sole representative. He finished 61st in the giant slalom then, when he was just 21, and endured much abuse on social media afterwards. He decided to step away from the sport and focus on his studies and weightlifting,…