Cynthia Appiah says the moment she first considered bobsled an option was the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

The 31-year-old from Toronto recalls seeing CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Shelley-Ann Brown, who is Black, flying down the Whistler track with partner Helen Upperton en route to a silver medal in the two-woman event.

B次元官网网址淚 thought, oh wait, I see myself in her, this is something that I can definitely do,B次元官网网址� Appiah said in a phone interview from Winterberg, Germany. B次元官网网址淥r at least itB次元官网网址檚 piqued my interest enough to want to try it out.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know if I would be where IB次元官网网址檓 at right now if I hadnB次元官网网址檛 seen someone like me in Shelly-Anne Brown at the Vancouver Winter Games.B次元官网网址�

As a Black woman in a predominantly white sport, and with the Winter Olympics being significantly less diverse than their Summer counterpart, representation matters immensely to Appiah.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 why sheB次元官网网址檚 proud to be one of eight athletes featured in the Canadian Olympic CommitteeB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淕lory From AnywhereB次元官网网址� Beijing campaign, unveiled Monday. The other athletes are Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (figure skating), Jane Channell (skeleton), Gilmore Junio (speedskating), Mikael Kingsbury (freestyle skiing), Jocelyne Larocque (hockey) and Max Parrot (snowboard).

B次元官网网址淭he campaign literally means glory from anywhere, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter what part of Canada that youB次元官网网址檙e from, your socioeconomic status, your race,B次元官网网址� Appiah said. B次元官网网址淢y passion and my motivation going into these Games is to really break down these stereotypes, and break down the mould of what typical winter athlete can look like, and how successful we can be.B次元官网网址�

Appiah, who has four medals on the WomenB次元官网网址檚 Monobob World Series this season, jumped in a bobsled for the first time a year after the Vancouver Games after bobsled scouts spotted her at York University. The former track and field athlete had just competed at the Canadian university championships in that sport, and was home for all of 30 minutes to pack winter gear before driving to Lake Placid, N.Y., for a bobsled pilot school.

On her run down as a pilot, she thought: B次元官网网址淲hat have I got myself into? Why am I here?B次元官网网址�

By the end of the second run, she was hooked.

While bobsled is a predominantly white sport, Black pilots are even scarcer, a disparity four-time world champion Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S. has also been vocal about. In an first-person piece she wrote for the Canadian Olympic Committee, Appiah said the ignorance around Black pilots is similar that around Black quarterbacks, that Black athletes B次元官网网址渓ack intelligence on the field,B次元官网网址� she wrote.

Meyers Taylor, who is biracial, has said one of the biggest bobsled manufacturers in the world refuses to sell to Black drivers.

B次元官网网址淲e are lucky to have a rich Olympic history in Canada because we can look up to so many great Olympians who achieved their dreams through bravery or resilience,B次元官网网址� Appiah said. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 important that people can see themselves in their heroes. I hope my teammates and I can be the same source of inspiration for people watching the Games no matter their background, race or religion.B次元官网网址�

The Beijing Games will open under the cloud of COVID-19 as the Omicron variant exploded like a grass fire around the globe. Two years into the pandemic, and reeling from yet another wave, David Shoemaker hopes Olympic athletes can inspire Canadians.

B次元官网网址淎t its core, thereB次元官网网址檚 a duality of this B次元官网网址楪lory From AnywhereB次元官网网址� campaign,B次元官网网址� said Shoemaker, the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee. B次元官网网址淥n the one hand, it really shows that no matter where youB次元官网网址檙e from, or who you are, you can be a Canadian OlympianB次元官网网址� in CynthiaB次元官网网址檚 case, using this platform that she now has to inspire Black youth in Olympic sport. It features Max Parrot, whoB次元官网网址檚 now a cancer survivor, trying to repeat as an Olympic medallist.

B次元官网网址淎nd then the duality is that you donB次元官网网址檛 have to be an Olympian to be Olympic, in whatever you do, wherever youB次元官网网址檙e from, you can achieve glory. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the message weB次元官网网址檙e trying to send.B次元官网网址�

The campaign was developed in collaboration with Toronto-based creative agency Camp Jefferson and K-72, an agency based in Montreal.

The Olympics open on Feb. 4. TheyB次元官网网址檙e the most gender-balanced Winter Games in history, with more female athletes (45 per cent) and womenB次元官网网址檚 events than any previous Games.

B次元官网网址擫ori Ewing, The Canadian Press