Head first into his dream

Dubai // Racing along head first, speeding around unknown corners and trying to avoid scrapes and bruises may be an apt metaphor for Faisal Ghazi Faisal's life, but it is also his chosen sport.

He dreams of representing Iraq in the Winter Olympics in two years' time by competing in skeleton, a sport similar to luge but where the athletes lie face down on a small board and slide head first along the track in an attempt to achieve the highest speeds. In his bid for Olympic glory, Faisal, 27, who was in Dubai last week meeting family who still live in Iraq, turned to the country that invaded his homeland in 2003, the United States. He plans to head to Lake Placid, New York, to train with the US Olympic team after being rebuffed by coaches in Australia.

His decision to go for gold came when he saw the opening ceremony of the Nagano Olympics in 1998 a few weeks before heading off to Australia for university. "When the nations come out marching with their flags everyone was waiting for their country," said Faisal. "I was waiting for the Iraqi team to come out and they never did. I was a bit disappointed. It was the isolation that we were going through that caused us to miss out on winter sport. I thought, OK, that's what I'm going to do."

Although he had never strapped on skis, when he arrived in Australia he met with an Olympic ski coach with the plan to train with the team. He was advised to try the sport first. Faisal spent every weekend on the slopes learning to ski. But to be an Olympic athlete he would need proper training. He called every sport federation he could find but was always turned down. "All I wanted was just for someone to give me a chance. All I wanted was just someone willing to get me on the ice or on the slope or on the track and allow me to compete."

Most of the responses he got were discouraging. People were confused and some actually laughed in his face. But the resistance only made him want it more. "Iraq in the Winter Olympics does sound absurd to some people. We are not from a winter sport country. But if you want to prove yourself, you have to do something outside of your comfort zone." When the war in Iraq broke out in 2003, he lost touch with his family, and the only news from home was that his best friend had died. He fell into a funk and sport fell by the wayside.

"When you don't know what's happened to your family and people are dying by the thousands, you don't really feel like pulling your life together. "Sport can seem like a thing without real substance, especially to people going through a war. Things were complicated so I couldn't just fight for my country. People were killing each other and people were showing up out of nowhere and blowing up people on the street. No one knew what the hell was going on.

"I thought, I can't be a part of that. I thought I need to help my country in my own unique way. I would have to do something positive. Sport was my only way to fight for my country, and I was channelling all my frustration and all my guilt about what was happening back home through the Olympic cause." He went back to skiing in Australia in 2004, this time more determined than ever to carry the flag for Iraq. His goal was to compete in Turino, two years away.

He was not having much success with skiing so he moved onto snowboarding, speed skating and ski jumping before eventually settling on skeleton. While it is the oldest competitive sledding sport in the world, it was first introduced to the Olympics in 2002. He loved the sport and was told he had a natural talent for it. He rang around the sport federations again, but still no one was willing to train him.

"I was really running out of steam because I had tried everything but couldn't get my chance. Once I really felt like it was over and in the dark. I rang the Americans. "I had mixed feeling about them. But I kept an open mind because people are people wherever they are, despite the politics. They were immediately very welcoming of the idea and invited me over there. They really looked after me." He arrived at Lake Placid and met with Steve Peters, who was to be his coach. "The day that we started it was just he and I out on the track," said Mr Peters, who works with the US Olympic technology team. "It was quiet and he was nervous, of course. He wasn't unlike anyone else. After anybody's first run they're either really happy or they hand you your sled back. I wasn't sure what I was going to get but when he came back to the top of the hill he was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't wait to take another run and it's been like that ever since."

Despite a tangle of red tape, in 2006 he made it to the qualifying race for Turino. Out of 40 countries, only the top eight competitors would make it through. Faisal was optimistic. He came 10th in the first race and ranked ninth in the second race, however, by the third race his ranking had tumbled to 20th. He would not be going to the Olympics that year. "I was out, I was finished, I was crying. That's when my life was crushed."

He went back to Iraq immediately after to pull himself together but, it just served to further depress him. "I couldn't recognise Iraq any more," he said, "I couldn't recognise the streets. My friends were not around. I had lost contact, and there was no way to get in touch with them. Eight years before that I had left home with the intention of achieving something, something that the people back home could celebrate. But Iraq wasn't paying attention. There were car bombs, kidnappings. I felt like I had accomplished nothing."

However, he shook off his disappointment and is now back training in Australia, where he now lives permanently. The Americans have invited him back to train at Lake Placid, and he has high hopes for the Vancouver games in 2010. "I want an honourable result. It's not enough just to show up." While he dreams of his own Olympic gold, he has been watching his countrymen compete in the Summer Games. "I had mixed emotions about seeing our athletes march with the flag in Beijing because it wasn't the same. They removed the stars."

But despite the changes he will be proud to represent Iraq. "I'll have no decision about what flag I carry by the time I get to Vancouver, but I'll be happy to be carrying it." amcmeans@thenational.ae