From Haitian roots to the slopes of the Vosges
Born in Delmas, Haiti, Stevenson Savart was never necessarily destined to become an Olympic skier. But fate is neither linear nor set in stone, and Savart’s life is proof of that.
He arrived in France at the age of three and was adopted by Thierry and Sandrine, his adoptive parents. Settling in the Vosges, Savart began accompanying them into the mountains, discovering his first sensations on snow alongside them.
“When I arrived in the Vosges with my adoptive parents, they put me straight on skis. It’s a region of skiers! With my school friends, we were all in the same club so I didn’t really feel like doing anything else. Then my love for the sport grew, and I chose cross-country skiing fully.
“My parents took me to training all the time. My dad is my first supporter! He took me to every competition at weekends. When we had to go really far and get up very early, he was the one getting up to take me.”
By his own admission, he was “not the brightest at school”, but Savart found in sport a source of happiness, and a sphere in which he could brush against excellence.
“I started skiing when I was five. At the time, they didn’t want to take me in the club because I was too small. We pushed, and it happened little by little,” he said.
“I’ve always been all-in on skiing. When I was little, I did athletics and a lot of mountain biking, but I chose skiing because it was what I was most into.”
A few years later, Savart is now preparing to write a new chapter in his country’s sporting story at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Haiti’s first Olympic cross-country skier
In Italy, Savart will become the first Haitian athlete to line up in the cross-country skiing events, a dream turned reality through sheer hard work and unwavering motivation.
“You have to know that I’m going to the Olympics with 20 pairs of skis, 10 for skating and 10 for classic. But if you ever get the chance to look inside the trucks of the big nations, it’s around 80 pairs per athlete,” he said.
Alongside his sporting career, Savart works as a teaching assistant (AED) at the Toussaint Louverture High School in Pontarlier. He may not enjoy the same financial backing as his rivals on the World Cup circuit, but he does not dwell on it.
“What’s good is that the school lets me train with the youngsters, and use their equipment, their weight room… even the bus that takes us to the Olympics is the minibus we use all the time for competition weekends,” he said.
Recipient of the Olympic Solidarity programme
Savart also benefits from a grant awarded by the IOC to 249 athletes currently qualified for the Olympic Winter Games.
This scholarship, provided through the Olympic Solidarity programme, aims to level the playing field by redistributing IOC revenues and support to the athletes and National Olympic Committees most in need.
“It allows me to live, for a start, and to buy equipment, the kit you need to get all the way to the Olympics,” he said. “I’ve had it this year and it’s made a difference. Honestly, without it, it would have been even more complicated.”
