--- title: Why Does Puerto Rico Have an Olympic Team description: It's been 20 years since Puerto Rico competed in the Winter Olympics, but 17-year-old alpine skier Charles Flaherty just broke that trend. canonical: https://time.com/5142884/puerto-rico-winter-olympics-2018/ author: Jennifer Calfas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-10T04:57:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:13:55.052Z article:section: Sports og:title: Why Does Puerto Rico Have an Olympic Team og:description: Puerto Rico hasn't recognized winter sports at the Olympics for years og:url: https://time.com/5142884/puerto-rico-winter-olympics-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b3b8d85ec3915f1/69892704db298795eb25eb7d/puerto-rico-winter-olympics.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 2018 Winter Olympic Games - Opening Ceremony og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Does Puerto Rico Have an Olympic Team twitter:description: Puerto Rico hasn't recognized winter sports at the Olympics for years twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b3b8d85ec3915f1/69892704db298795eb25eb7d/puerto-rico-winter-olympics.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Skier is the First Athlete to Compete at the Winter Olympics for Puerto Rico in 20 Years. Here's Why by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Feb 10, 2018 4:57 AM UTC  Flag bearer Charles Flaherty of Puerto Rico and teammates arrive at the stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. Flag bearer Charles Flaherty of Puerto Rico and teammates arrive at the stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.Matthias Hangst—Getty Images by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Feb 10, 2018 4:57 AM UTC It’s been 20 years since Puerto Rico competed in the Winter Olympics, but 17-year-old alpine skier Charles Flaherty just broke that trend. Carrying Puerto Rico’s flag at the [2018 Winter Olympics](http://time.com/4932670/2018-winter-olympics-when-where/) Opening Ceremony in [PyeongChang, South Korea](http://time.com/5063566/next-olympics-location/), Flaherty beamed as the first representative for Puerto Rico at the Games since 1998, when it sent another alpine skier and two-man and four-man bobsled teams to Nagano, Japan. But Puerto Rico stopped competing at the Winter Olympics when a member if its 2002 bobsled team was deemed ineligible to compete by the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee and the team was withdrawn. The Puerto Rico Olympic Committee then withdrew its recognition of its Winter Sports Federation, making athletes intending to represent Puerto Rico ineligible to compete. However, the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee created a temporary, six-month acknowledgement of the Winter Sport Federation to allow Flaherty to compete this year. Originally from Ohio, Flaherty moved to Puerto Rico in 2010 and trains elsewhere, [according to _People_](http://people.com/sports/winter-olympics-2018-charles-flaherty-puerto-rico-skier/). The athlete, who marched at the Opening Ceremony Feb. 9 with his coach and two officials, [told _People_](http://people.com/sports/winter-olympics-2018-charles-flaherty-puerto-rico-skier/) he hopes the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee will continue recognize the Winter Sports Federation to make way for more athletes to compete at the Games. “There are definitely other people out there who are eligible to go for Puerto Rico, and we want to help give them the opportunity,” Flaherty told _People_. One of those athletes includes skier Kristina Krone, who had qualified for the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics but did not compete as a result of the Olympic Committee’s policy. Puerto Rico’s representation at the Olympics comes just months after the island [was devestated](http://time.com/a-land-they-no-longer-recognize/) by Hurricane Maria ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5142884/puerto-rico-winter-olympics-2018/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5142884/puerto-rico-winter-olympics-2018/"},"headline":"This Skier is the First Athlete to Compete at the Winter Olympics for Puerto Rico in 20 Years. 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