Singapore Alpine skier Faiz Basha stays cool ahead of Winter Olympic debut

SINGAPORE – The life of an elite athlete is not for everyone and Faiz Basha knows the demands all too well.

The Singaporean Alpine skier’s journey has been shaped by sacrifices – structured around training blocks and competition calendars, rather than the comforts of a conventional routine.

The 23-year-old said: “You don’t get to have many friends, you don’t get to see your family very often, you’re always on the road travelling.

“But I want to do it and I’m enjoying myself and I have my goals and I’ve achieved my goals so far – that’s what’s kept me going.”

What keeps the University of Strathclyde undergraduate hooked on the sport he picked up when he was three is also the thrill he gets from mastering his craft.

He said: “I do it (continue to ski) because when you’re on the slopes and you ski at 100kmh and you have the adrenaline, you feel alive, you feel in control.

“When you’re in the slalom and you pump and you’re going faster, it’s a very strange feeling to describe because you feel in control. You feel powerful, you feel just like you’re having a lot of fun.”

His dedication to his craft showed even during national service, when he had no access to the snowy slopes – he improvised by skating up and down a running track that surrounds the National Stadium on inline skates.

While it was not his usual training routine, it sharpened a crucial skill – on a flat surface, he had to pump through his turns to generate speed and maintain momentum – a technique that would later translate to faster times in the mountains.

That ability will come in handy when he takes to the slopes at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy, where the latest chapter of his sporting career unfolds at the Feb 6-22 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Faiz is Singapore’s first snow sports athlete at the Winter Games and only the second, after short track speed skater Cheyenne Goh in 2018, to qualify for the quadrennial event.

After completing the qualification process that saw him fulfil the qualifying criteria for the slalom and giant slalom in January and December 2025, he has arrived at the Games with a sense of calm.

Reflecting on his Olympic debut, Faiz said: “I don’t feel so much... I’ve had a long time to come to terms with going to the Olympics.

“What I would like to take away is the experience – every time I go to a race, you understand how it works, you get to understand the competitors a bit better, you understand what it’s like and that helps you improve the next time you do it.

“That’s why I always say my intention is to do more.”

He will be taking part in the giant slalom on Feb 14, followed by the slalom two days later.

Alpine skiing involves moving between poles or gates on a downhill course, with the slalom the shortest course of the disciplines with the tightest turns, while the giant slalom has looser turns and a wider distance between gates.

In these two events, skiers race two time trials, with the fastest total time determining the winner.

While this is his first time, these Olympics, however, feel different from other competitions he has attended, such as the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, where he finished 12th in the slalom.

Spread across several locations in Italy, the decentralised nature of the Games saw fewer athletes gathered at each competition centres.

But there have been some unforgettable moments, including at the launch of the Games, when he served as Singapore’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony in Livigno, one of four venues that staged the opening ceremonies on Feb 6.

He said: “I like the symbolism of it, having to walk through the (Olympic) rings. It’s like a gateway, once you pass these links, you’re now an Olympian and nobody can take that away from you, so that was quite cool.”

Having his mother Sharifah Albar in the stands was also special for Faiz, even though he was unable to spot her. He said: “She has been such a big contribution to my skiing and she’s helped me learn from when I was really young and brought me to all the competitions.

“She was in the crowd and I couldn’t even see her. It’s also a strange feeling, but she’s still very supportive.”

After an intense qualifying campaign, Faiz has been able to take a step back and recalibrate.

With his spot secured in both the slalom and giant slalom events at the Games, he was able to work on his power endurance and strength mobility in the gym in the lead-up.

This was crucial in his preparation for the giant slalom event, where it takes about 90 seconds to complete the Olympic course, compared to courses in other international races, which takes 50 to 60 seconds.

Qualifying for the giant slalom was an emotionally impactful moment for Faiz, especially when there was a time he considered dropping the discipline.

He recalled how one of his former coaches had once told him after his NS that he lacked the fundamentals to excel in the discipline.

To compete in the slalom or giant slalom events at the Winter Games, athletes must obtain an average of fewer than 120 points across their top five results on the Olympic FIS points list within the qualification window from July 1, 2024, to Jan 18, 2026.

“It’s a discipline which has never come naturally to me but (qualification) proved to myself that I can excel (not only) in what I’m good at, but also what I’m not good at, if I put enough training into it.”

Faiz acknowledged that the Olympic stage is a different challenge, but is relishing his maiden appearance.

He said: “Over here, I know that I’m in a different environment and among a different league, which I’m very new to, very foreign to, and I come in with a lot of humility.

“I just want to do what I can do. I don’t want to give anyone expectations or be too excited for anything.”

Faiz's races will be broadcasted live

here

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