Dow waves flag for Cayman at his 2nd Winter Games

| 07/02/2014

(CNS): Dow Travers carried the flag for the Cayman Islands Friday as the 2014 Winter Olympic Games opened in the showcase Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. Travers (26) is competing in the Giant Slalom and the Slalom in the second Winter Olympics of his ski-ing career. The games opened Friday and will last until the 23 February. Travers, who is supported by David Carmichael, the Chef de Mission, and his coach Jake Zamansky, will compete in the Giant Slalom on 19 February and the Slalom on 22 February.

Born and raised in Grand Cayman, Travers is the eldest of three talented athletic brothers. He represented Cayman at the winter Olympics for the first time in 2010, when he made a respectable time in the downhill final to put him in 69th place.

With music, dance and plenty of Russian bravado, the games are not only a showcase of the world’s best athletes on ice and snow but it is an effort by the ever-controversial president, Vladimir Putin, to show the post-Soviet Russia to the world. Some 3,000 athletes will compete in 98 events – the biggest ever winter games.

The Opening Ceremony will be broadcast on NBC at 7:30pm Friday evening. More information can be found on the official website for the Games.

For pictures and up to date information on Travers visit www.caymanolympic.org.ky and the Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/CaymanIslandsOlympicCommittee

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Did Jamaica qualify?

  2. Anonymous says:

    love the flip flops!!!! All the best.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Organised sports are counter productive.

  4. SKEPTICAL says:

    Well done Dow – whatever your position you will do us proud –  Cayman's  "  Cool Runnings " man.

  5. Anonymous says:

    As a Caymanian I felt extremely proud to see our tiny nation’s flag being carried with such dignity. Thank you Dow for calling the Cayman Islands your home and making us all so proud. We support you and wish you all the best in getting that gold!

    Now on the other hand, why do we, the people of our own land, not carry the respect and dignity for our islands? Majority of us laugh, talk or really dont even acknowledge when our national song is being sang. Shame on us! We allow our flag to be flown tattered and worn yet other persons that live here carry their home land’s flag with pride.

    Teach it in the schools to have the respect, carry this pride every day of our lives. Teach the importance and why we should do what all nations do to respect their countries. I was taught this from primary school through high school but this was 15 years ago and we need to take a little step back and bring our children up proudly and wise. Remeber they are our cayman in the next 15 years.

    This is my “Beloved Isle Cayman”

  6. Anonymous says:

    Check this coverage out… how fun!http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20778965_20785145,00.html

    • Anonymous says:

      Cayman was the stand out of the night! They looked great. Very proud of them.

  7. Another Anon says:

    How awesome to see the nation's flag flying high. Gives me goose bumps every time! Best of luck, Dow.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Why would anyone give a thumbs down and a few trolls to this obviously positive and proud post? Sheesh!!

  8. Anonymous says:

    Good luck to Travers, hope he does well.

     

    On another note, the opening ceremony, in typical Russian bad taste and lack of respect, was a tribute to the Soviet years, through the symbology of the sickle, the hammer and the stars. Thank God one of the Olympic Rings failed to light, showed them for the corrupted nation they are. Every Eastern European non Russian and quite a few of their own will be fuming at a tribute to the likes of Stalin and others who killed and exiled millions of "dissidents" (ie intellectuals, people who had land or property, Gypsys, Gays, or people he just did not like). Almost every person in an FSU satellite country will tell you of the family members or friends lost to the Soviet slaughter machine. And they pay tribute to it? Can you imagine what would happen if the next Olympics were in Berlin and tribute was paid to Hitler and the Nazi party?

    The only reason the west deals with that country is because it has oil and gas. Hopefully if that situation changes, as it is, we will never have to deal with them again.

    I predict it is only another year or two before Russia becomes the next Syria. The only issue, they got Nukes, and chemical weapons.

    • Anonymous says:

      Why bring politics into this, one can also talk about the thousands of innocent people killed in America (native indians & blacks), Stalin is no worse than the KKK..Good luck to our lone Cayman athlete.

      • Anonymous says:

        I think the first line of your post 'why bring politics into this' was exactly what the original poster was saying. Why did the Russians bring politics into their opening ceremony?. This is usually a no, no. Russia has a history of state oppression and have committed atrocities against millions of people on the orders of their political rulers. The KKK are a bunch of village idiots that committed atrocities based on their ignorance, hatred and small mindedness – it wasn't state policy – and the KKK can't hold an Olympic opening ceremony where they proudly demonstrate their past atrocities. I thought the original poster was right – don't mix politics with sport (especially the Olympics) – and I wholeheartedly agree with you too – Good luck to (y)our Cayman athlete – a huge achievement just being there. (I write (y)our as I'm an expat – but I will be willing him to do well – the Brits love an underdog!)

      • Anonymous says:

        Politics are always involved, why do you think Obama did not attend? Comparing Stalin with the KKK shows an ignorance and lack of understanding beyond belief. Stalin was a leader, not a bunch of hooligans with a bad attitude.

      • Anonymous says:

        Because, like it or not, the Olymlics are ALL about politics. Politics brought this event to wildly inappropriate Sochi.

        The sooner countries wise up and declare they'll have nothing more to do with these bloated, corrupt, fascistic, arrogant games, the better.

      • Anonymous says:

        "Stalin is no worse than the KKK"! Are you really that stupid? He was the biggest mass murderer of all time! You will also find that the US government killed far more non-whites than those KKK idiots ever did. 

         

      • Diogenes says:

        Are you kidding?  Whilst they are both unspeakable, you cannot possibly compare the millions dying under Stalin's regime with the actions of the KKK.  

      • Anonymous says:

        Know your Russian history before you post. Stalin was indeed much worse than the KKK.

    • Born Free says:

      You forgot to mention what has been happening to the Palestinians over the years!