Feature: Norway's Pedersen fights against unfair treatment for para-athletes

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By Yao Youming, Liu Yangtao, Ma Bangjie (Xinhua) 08:40, February 28, 2022

YANQING, Beijing, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Jesper Pedersen of Norway, who won one gold and one bronze medal at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, aims to bring home more golds in the upcoming Beijing Winter Paralympics.

"I want to be able to fight for gold medals in every discipline. I have to ski really fast to be able to do that," the 22-year-old told Xinhua during a break in his training session at China's National Alpine Skiing Center on Sunday.

When the Norwegian was born, he suffered spinal cord injuries. However, like other children in Norway, Pedersen took up skiing, following his father's lead.

Compared with able-bodied skiers, Pedersen had to overcome more difficulties on his road to becoming an elite athlete. But in Pedersen's mind, the most important thing is doing the same things as able-bodied skiers.

"With enough training, you can do anything." That motto is a constant source of encouragement for Pedersen, who skis while seated.

At PyeongChang 2018, Pedersen won gold in the men's giant slalom sitting and bronze in the super-combined.

"Nobody knew me when I went to Korea but when I got back everybody did. The TV coverage from PyeongChang 2018 was good in Norway, so lots of people wanted a chat," he said.

"It was pretty cool. Everyone knows me in my hometown anyway, but now I'm the guy with a gold medal. They think, 'Whoa'," he added.

However, when the young skier was training to win more medals at Beijing 2022, his father Bjorn passed away from a heart attack in November 2020.

In January 2022, when Pedersen won gold in the sitting downhill at the World Championships in Lillehammer, Norway, he dedicated the victory to his late father.

"He can take a large part of the credit for that win. I would not be where I am today without him. The gold is in his honor. I have him with me in my mind all the time," said Pedersen.

In recent years, besides taking part in competitions, Pedersen is fighting for greater rights for disabled athletes.

In early 2021, he auctioned five kilograms of cheese that he had received as a prize at a World Cup event in Switzerland, aiming to raise awareness of the difference in earnings between para-skiers and their able-bodied counterparts.

Eventually, it took a bidder 50,000 Norwegian kroner (5,670 U.S. dollars) to pocket the cheese.

"It was a stunt, but the response was incredible. I did it mostly to shed light on the topic. People who were not aware that there was such a great difference now think it is wrong that I do not receive a single kroner, while able-bodied skiers can get 600,000 kroner for winning a race."

"I try to increase the awareness of the differences that exist. We need attention so that people will open their eyes to us." Pedersen said.

After the 2022 World Championships, Pedersen trained for two weeks at Norway's national teams' training center before arriving in China on February 25.

"It is really nice to be here. It's really cool place and I'm looking forward to the races," he said.

Besides being a professional athlete, Pedersen is also a student of political science at the University of Oslo. He told Xinhua that he wanted to find a job when he retires from professional skiing, though he will keep skiing recreationally for the rest of his life.

"I've been skiing all my life and it is a big part of who I am," Pedersen said.

"It is really nice to remain part of society and be together with the able-bodied athletes," he added. 

(Web editor: Peng yukai, Liang Jun)