越南滑雪運動員：在沙丘上尬滑訓練，依然夢想為國爭光
Sandman: The Vietnamese snowboarder training on dunes
沙人：越南滑雪者在沙丘上訓練
來源：法新社 翻譯：世界播
Sun-kissed and shaggy-haired, Nguyen Thai Binh swaps his flip flops for bulky boots ahead of snowboarding practice on the sand dunes of southern Vietnam -- the unlikely training ground for the country"s fledgling winter athletes with mountain-sized ambitions.
皮膚黝黑、留著長發的阮泰斌脫掉了他的拖鞋，換上了笨重的靴子，準備在越南南部的這片沙丘上練習滑雪。這個地方本不大可能是胸懷大志的冬季運動員的訓練場。
Binh is one of Vietnam"s top snowboarders, pioneering a push to boost winter sports in Southeast Asia where snowfall is virtually unheard of.
阮泰斌是越南頂尖的滑雪運動員之一，在幾乎沒有下過雪的東南亞地區，他開創了促進冬季運動的先機。
But it"s been an uphill battle for athletes like him facing funding shortfalls, lack of public interest and few training facilities, namely snowy mountains.
但對像他這樣的運動員來說，這是一場艱苦的戰鬥，他們面臨資金短缺、缺乏公眾興趣以及雪山等訓練設施的匱乏。
"This sport is so new for Vietnamese, and we don"t have any snow to practise on," said 29-year-old Binh.
29歲的阮泰斌說：「這項運動對越南人來說太新了，我們沒有雪可以練習。」
Though Vietnam"s northern Sapa mountains see the occasional dusting in winter months, there are no snow slopes for aspiring skiers and snowboarders in the tropical country.
雖然越南北部的沙壩山區在冬季偶爾會下點雪，但在這個熱帶國家，沒有為胸懷大志的滑雪者和滑雪板愛好者準備的雪坡。
Instead, Binh boards on the undulating sand dunes of Mui Ne, better known for picture-perfect vistas and breakneck ATV rides on offer for tourists in the sunny southern province of Binh Thuan.
相反，阮泰斌登上了美奈起伏的沙丘上，遊客可以在陽光明媚的南部省份平順，欣賞到美麗的景色和驚險的全地形車。
Binh made his international debut at the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan in 2017, joining Vietnam"s first-ever team to compete in the tournament long-dominated by Japan, South Korea and China.
2017年，阮泰斌在日本札幌舉行的亞洲冬季奧運會上首次亮相，成為越南第一支參加這項長期由日本、韓國和中國主導的賽事的隊伍一員。
It was a lifelong dream for Binh who fell in love with sports as a scrawny kid, so skinny that he was taunted by classmates for looking like a drug addict.
對於阮泰斌來說，這是他一生的夢想。當他還是個骨瘦如柴的孩子，瘦得讓同學嘲笑他看起來像個癮君子時，他就愛上了體育運動。
Committed to bulking up, he tried his hand at martial arts, then kitesurfing and longboarding before he started sandsurfing in 2007.
他決心要健身，於是嘗試了武術，在2007年開始沙灘衝浪之前，還嘗試了風箏衝浪和長板衝浪。
Like most of his teammates, the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo was his first time seeing snow. The skiers too had only ever trained on sand using tree branches as slalom poles on the sandy slopes of Mui Ne.
和他的大多數隊友一樣，札幌亞運會是他第一次看到雪。這些滑雪者們都只在在美奈的沙地上用樹枝作為迴轉桿訓練過。
"I was hesitant, I"d been practising on the sand dunes for a while so I had the technique, but the snow was so slippery," Binh told AFP.
「我很猶豫，我已經在沙丘上練習了一段時間，所以我掌握了這項技巧，但是雪太滑了。」 阮泰斌告訴法新社。
- Broken limbs, frozen toes -
-四肢骨折，腳趾凍僵-
It was an eventful week for the seven athletes who competed for Vietnam.
對於為越南參賽的7名運動員來說，這是不尋常的一周。
Many didn"t have proper winter gear and froze if they stayed outside for too long. Skier Pham Tien Dat tumbled during slalom training, broke his shoulder and couldn"t compete. The Vietnamese journalists covering the games got sick and were hospitalised.
許多人沒有合適的冬裝，如果在外面呆太久就會凍僵。滑雪運動員范天達在迴旋訓練中摔倒，肩膀骨折，無法參加比賽。報道奧運會的越南記者生病住院。
As for sports junkie Binh, his other hobbies served him well in Sapporo.
對於體育迷阮泰斌來說，他的其他愛好讓他在札幌受益匪淺。
"Binh was a fast learner because of his longboarding and surfing skills," said Le Quan, the Vietnam team coach.
「阮泰斌學得很快，因為他的長板和衝浪技術。」越南隊教練樂權說。
Vietnam walked away with no medals, but plenty of pride.
越南雖然沒有獲得獎牌，但卻充滿了自豪。
"We went to Sapporo not aiming for a high ranking but to challenge ourselves," Quan told AFP.
「我們去札幌不是為了更高的排名，而是為了挑戰自己。」樂權告訴法新社。
There were eight Southeast Asian teams at the 2017 games, the highest number since 1986 when the Philippines became the first country from the region to compete.
2017年奧運會共有8支東南亞球隊參賽，這是自1986年菲律賓成為該地區首個參賽國家以來的最高數字。
The director general of the Olympic Council of Asia Husain Al Musallam said winter sports have developed among Southeast Asian athletes "in a very good way" and expects the number of participants to jump for the next games in 2021.
亞洲奧林匹克理事會總幹事穆薩拉姆說，冬季運動在東南亞運動員中發展得「非常好」，他預計參加2021年下屆奧運會的人數將會增加。
Many athletes so far have been skaters, thanks to an increasing number of ice rinks in malls and sports centres across the region, including Vietnam.
到目前為止，許多運動員都是滑冰運動員，這要歸功於該地區（包括越南）購物中心和體育中心的溜冰場越來越多。
Further afield, countries with warm climates from Ghana to Mexico to Nigeria have broken into winter sports.
在更遠的地方，從迦納到墨西哥，再到奈及利亞，氣候溫暖的國家都開始涉足冬季運動。
The main hurdle for winter sports in warm weather countries is money.
在氣候溫暖的國家，冬季運動的主要障礙是錢。
Vietnam"s communist government has put some money into skating and ice hockey, but Binh says snowboarding remains a neglected sport.
越南政府已經在滑冰和冰球上投入了一些資金，但是阮泰斌說，滑雪板運動仍然是一項被忽視的運動。
"Snowboarding is struggling to develop here because there"s no snow, and Vietnam doesn"t have much money to send athletes abroad to train," he said.
他說：「這裡的滑雪板發展很艱難，因為這裡沒有雪，而且越南沒有足夠的錢把運動員送到國外訓練。」
Binh is hoping to compete at the next Asian Winter Games in 2021 -- if he can find a sponsor.
如果能找到贊助者，阮泰斌就有望參加2021年的下屆亞運會。
Until then his main focus is on longboarding, with sights set on the Southeast Asian Games in Philippines later this year.
在那之前，他主要關注的是長板運動，目標是今年晚些時候在菲律賓舉行的東南亞運動會。
Skateboarding made its debut at the competition last year and will premier at the Olympics in Japan in 2020.
滑板運動在去年的比賽中首次亮相，並將登上2020年的日本奧運會。
But Binh says snowboarding is still his first passion, and he"s proud to have helped it grow in Vietnam.
但是阮泰斌說，滑雪板運動仍然是他的第一愛好，他很自豪能促進它在越南發展。
"Before we competed (in Sapporo) no one knew about winter sports, no one could have even imagined we could have a team."
「我們（在札幌）比賽之前，沒有人知道冬季運動，甚至沒有人能想像我們能有一個團隊。」
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