Haiti’s Olympic team calls for increased support following a disappointing performance

CAP-HAITIEN — Alexandre Grand’Pierre arrived in Paris from Atlanta just two days before his swim event at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The first day, July 25, was extremely busy as Grand’Pierre had to familiarize himself with the protocols of the Olympic village, the village itself, and more.

Grand’Pierre’s second day in Paris was also hectic due to the opening ceremony. Despite the busy schedule, he still made time to practice on both days. After these exhausting days, he swam the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:02.85, finishing 28th out of 35 swimmers, thus failing to advance to the next round.

“There’s no way to tell,” Grand’Pierre said when asked if arriving in Paris earlier would have improved his performance. “Mentally, I was clear. I was ready to compete. I didn’t let things that weren’t under my control affect my mentality.”

But the things that were not under the Haitian American swimmer’s control can heavily impact an athlete’s performance, being conscious of that or not. 

Grand’Pierre arrived late amid financial struggles faced by the Haitian Olympic Committee (COH), which had difficulty sending athletes to Paris. Some athletes had to fundraise to cover their expenses. Although they eventually made it, the team underperformed.

Many Haitian fans worldwide believed the team could have performed better with more support from Haiti. Grand’Pierre, who aimed to win his race, empathized with this sentiment but did not blame anyone for his lackluster performance.

“If they want to see gold, it’s not just the athletes,” Grand’Pierre said. “You can ask any person who has won gold at the Olympics. There’s an entire community behind them, supporting them. If the Haitian people want gold, I call out to them to support young athletes.”

This call primarily concerns the Haitian government and the need for a more stable country that prioritizes sports development, some suggest.

The major obstacles

In addition to funding and logistical challenges, Haitian athletes faced significant obstacles due to ongoing instability in Haiti. Months before the competition, Haiti’s national Olympic committee reported losing 80% of its trained coaches due to massive emigration, which severely affected the athletes’ preparation. The collapse of the now former Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s government left the team without financial resources, and blocked commercial flights to and from Haiti, due to gangs-fueled insecurity, further complicated travel to Olympic qualifiers.

“If the Haitian people want gold, I call out to them to support young athletes.”

Alexandre Grand’Pierre, Haitian American Swimmer 

These challenges particularly affected local talents, with the team relying heavily on athletes living abroad to represent the nation.

The COH had a budget of $405,000 to support its seven athletes but received only $74,600 — less than 19% — from the Haitian government just before the Olympic Games began, according to the Associated Press. Before receiving the funds, the organization had to fundraise, collecting about $155,000 as of July 11, The  Miami Herald reported.

While many stress the need for financial support, the head of Haiti’s Olympic team delegation in Paris emphasized that assistance must go beyond money.

Looking beyond money 

Fritz-Gérald Fong stressed the need for an organization to assist athletes heading to the Olympics, improved scouting, and parents inspiring athletes in the Haitian diaspora to represent Haiti. He highlighted the need for comprehensive support, including better training facilities and resources to develop local talent in various sports.

“We need support from the government, yes,” Fong said. “But what we need most is work. They talk about support, money — we need an organization. We’ve seen money get poured in and wasted. If we don’t have a serious, solid organization, we might just keep wasting millions of dollars.”

Indeed, four members of the Haitian Federation of Aquatics Sports (FHSA) were suspended on Aug. 6 by the World Aquatics Integrity Unit for mismanaging $75,000 between 2021 and 2024.

Fong emphasized that one of the most crucial tasks for improving Haitian athletes’ performance at future Olympics is educating young athletes.

“It’s the society’s work,” Fong said. “It starts with education in school, discovering talent. After that, it progresses to the federation, coaches, trainers, the State, and sponsors. There’s a lot involved in society.”

To that, Grand’Pierre added, “Haiti needs to build better training facilities for local athletes in a stress-free environment.” Acute gang violence in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas could significantly hinder athletes from striving.

“Young athletes in Haiti need an easier, less stressful time to practice and focus on their sports without worrying about outside factors that could distract and hinder their training,” Grand’Pierre said.

Grand’Pierre holds Haiti’s record for the 50, 100, and 200-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley.

Athletes’ showings at the Paris Olympics

The other Haitian swimmer, 14-year-old Mayah Chouloute, finished the 50-meter freestyle in 59th place overall out of 79 swimmers, with a time of 29.78 seconds on Aug. 3.

Haiti’s worst performances came in martial arts. Judoka Philippe Metellus lost to Thai Terada Masayuki, 11-0, in the Round of 32 on July 29. Although Metellus lost in the first round, he was content to call himself an Olympian.

“After more than seven years of intense commitment and over 20 years of practicing my sport, I feel deeply grateful to have reached the pinnacle of the sporting world by participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” Metellus posted on Instagram on Aug. 11.

Boxer Cedrick Belony-Dulièpre also lost without scoring a point, bowing out to Brazilian Wanderley Pereira, 5-0, in the Round of 16.

In track and field, Christopher Borzor was the only athlete not eliminated in his first outing, finishing first in his heat in the 100-meter sprint preliminary round with a time of 10.26 seconds on Aug. 3. Borzor later finished fifth in the first round, clocking 10.28 seconds on the same day.

Hurdler Emelia Chatfield underperformed, running the 100-meter hurdles in 13.06 seconds in the first round and 13.24 seconds in the repechage round—a second chance to advance to the next round. Chatfield ran below her personal best of 12.72 seconds, partially due to a lack of explosiveness off the blocks.

“For my first Olympic Games, I was a bit disappointed, but I know an amazing God, and everything is on his timing, not mine,” Chatfield posted on Instagram on August 11.

As for the last athlete, gymnast Lynnzee Brown finished in 53rd place out of 58 athletes, scoring 48.832 points on July 28.

Besides the aforementioned challenges, another factor that could have hindered Haiti’s performance at the Olympics is the lack of continuity among athletes. None of the Olympians from the past three editions of the Olympics competed a second time. For these seven athletes competed in Paris, it is not yet known if they plan to qualify for the 2028 Olympics.

However, COH members seem ready to put this edition of Summer Olympics behind them and focus on the next one.

Despite the lack of support, funds, and other issues, Fong and other COH members are still eager to give Haiti a good representation at the next competition to be held in 2028 in Los Angeles, California.

“We will keep doing the work, me and other actors, if God enables me to do so,” Fong said. “We need to do it together. I can’t let you do it alone. And you can’t let me do it alone.”

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Haiti’s Olympic team calls for increased support following a disappointing performance was first posted on August 19, 2024 at 7:30 am.