STORY OF THE FIRST INDIAN FEMALE
SKIER IN THE WINTER OLYMPICS AND
HER ASSOCIATION WITH JAPAN
By: Neha Bhalla
Mr. Sato with Neha and other team members at the Arai Ski Resort
I, Neha Ahuja (now Neha Bhalla) represented India in the 20th Winter Olympic Games, held in Turin, Italy, in 2006. Not only am I the first Indian woman to have qualified for the Olympics, I am also the first Indian athlete to have participated in two events. I also had the honor and privilege of carrying my country’s national flag during the opening and closing ceremonies.
My relationship with Japan began in January 1996. I was 14 years old when I went to Fukushima, Japan, to represent India in the 4th Jr. Asian Winter Games. Mr. Kazuo Sato (Sato San), from Niigata-Ken, was my first professional ski coach, who also encouraged me to dream big and represent India in the Winter Olympics. He had organized training in Akakura, Myokogen, a month prior and for a month after the races. Throughout this time I stayed with him and his family.
Because of this opportunity of “home-stay” I began learning about the Japanese culture, traditions, language, and in return was able to share my own. Sato San spoke very little English. His family did not speak any English and I, unfortunately, did not know a word of Japanese. Nevertheless, I truly was enjoying my stay in Japan!
I was able to train in Japan almost every year from 1996–1999 for 2-3 months at a time. Along with skiing, my ability to speak Japanese was improving too. However, to achieve my goal of competing in the Olympics, I needed more training and exposure to more and more races. Sato San provided me all the support he could, but now we needed help from a sponsor. Mr. Sato introduced me to Mr. Morita, owner of the Morita Sports Promotion Foundation (MSPF) and Arai Resort Management (ARM).
Seeing my progress and determination to achieve my goal, MSPF, in 1999, agreed to sponsor me and help me qualify for the 2002 Olympics. I was then sent to New Zealand and Australia for training and races. In 2000, with a sports/ academic scholarship from MSPF, I joined the University of Colorado (CU) at Boulder, U.S.A. At CU, I decided to major in Business Management, and a minor in Japanese.
In August 2001, I took a semester off from CU to compete in pre-Olympic races in Europe with Mr. Morita’s help. I was unable to qualify in Europe, but I still had one more chance to qualify in the US, so I went back to Colorado to compete there. On a cold and windy Colorado day in January 2002, I was in Winter Park to compete in my final pre-Olympic race. At the top of the run, as I was waiting to take off, I remember thinking, “This is it.” The buzzer rang and I pushed off from the starting gate but within 15 seconds I saw my Olympic dream disappear—I had crashed, injuring my knee, and was out of the race.
Still fresh with my disappointment in not qualifying for the Olympics, things took another turn for the worse. In April 2002, I received the shocking news that Sato San passed away. I was heartbroken. He was not only my ski coach but also like a father-figure in my life. I felt guilty for his death—like I had let him down and because I didn’t qualify for the Olympics, he left me.
January 2003 brought me to the 4th Asian Winter Games in Aomori, Japan. Although I placed well, my heart was just not into it. In February 2003, my sadness was then compounded with the news that my mentor, Mr. Fukuyama, had also passed away. Overwhelmed, I lost interest in skiing and soon gave it up. Instead, I focused on my education and graduated from college in May 2004.
Right after graduation, I was offered a job as a Foreign Guest Relations Officer with the Arai Resort Management. It was a great experience to be working at a ski resort. I made a lot of friends. From time to time, I would go to visit Sato San’s wife and their daughters, still missing my coach. I had been
