How a trip to Guinea changed Elladj Baldé’s outlook on figure skating
The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games start today and Canadian figure skater Elladj Baldé is representing Canada in a new way — as a special contributor on CBC. Elladj started skating at age six and, like many budding athletes, grew up dreaming of Olympic glory. But as a young Black man, he didn’t always see himself reflected in the world of figure skating, and that started to impact how he felt about the sport and even himself. In this conversation with guest host Garvia Bailey, Elladj talks about the crushing disappointment he experienced after he narrowly missed qualifying for the Sochi Olympics, how a trip to Guinea, West Africa changed his relationship with skating, and how he found a new sense of purpose on the ice.
Q with Tom Power · CBC
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (mgln.ai) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games start today and Canadian figure skater Elladj Baldé is representing Canada in a new way — as a special contributor on CBC. Elladj started skating at age six and, like many budding athletes, grew up dreaming of Olympic glory. But as a young Black man, he didn’t always see himself reflected in the world of figure skating, and that started to impact how he felt about the sport and even himself. In this conversation with guest host Garvia Bailey, Elladj talks about the crushing disappointment he experienced after he narrowly missed qualifying for the Sochi Olympics, how a trip to Guinea, West Africa changed his relationship with skating, and how he found a new sense of purpose on the ice.