Cortina d’Ampezzo (APP – Urdu Point / Pakistan Point News – 6th Mar, 2026) Ralph Etienne, the first Winter Paralympic athlete to represent Haiti, wants his appearance at the Milan Cortina Paralympic Games to change preconceived notions about his country and inspire the next generation.
“A lot of people associate Haiti with chaos,” he said. “Haiti made me, and here I am today,” the 36-year-old said in an interview at the Cortina d’Ampezo Paralympic Village. “This is a representation of what Haiti has to offer… There are a lot of Haitians like me, they just need the opportunity.”
Etienne competes as an alpine skier in the men’s giant slalom. He says he accepted the challenge to qualify having only skied 80 days in his life.
“I want young Haitians in Haiti now, in Mirajoan, in Port-au-Prince, in Cité Soleil, when they look at me doing this, I want them to say: If Ralph can do this, I can do anything,” he said.
Haiti is experiencing what Human Rights Watch has described as a “multidimensional” crisis that will reach “catastrophic levels” in 2024, with intensifying attacks by criminal groups bringing the country to a standstill as it struggles to recover from recurring natural disasters.
At the time of the devastating earthquake in January 2010, Etienne was a young businessman in the Caribbean nation.
The earthquake, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, is believed to have killed more than 310,000 people and affected the lives of many others.
The building Etienne was in collapsed, leaving him hanging upside down for approximately eight hours. He was eventually rescued, but lost his left leg.
“It’s basically a story from the ruins in 2010 to the top in 2026. It’s a beautiful transition,” he said.
“I think when I first lost my leg, I felt suicidal,” he said. “Then I gained a new, renewed perspective on life.”
Now a banker, Etienne took up alpine skiing because it could be a platform to inspire others.
But it is clear that this sport brought him inspiration.
“It has improved my quality of life,” he said. “I was at a race in Italy a couple of weeks ago, and the guy (who) won…has one leg and is 61 years old. So, I could be 70 or 80 years old and racing with one leg.”
Etienne is scheduled to compete in the men’s giant slalom standings on March 13.
Haiti is one of five countries, along with El Salvador, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Portugal, that sent their first athletes to the Winter Paralympics this year.