Basha’s just the second athlete from the tropical country — temperature today: 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 Celsius) — to compete at a Winter Games. Born in Singapore, Basha was introduced to ski racing during his time living in Switzerland, when his parents moved there while his dad served as a diplomat.

By Kurt Hall and Joyce Zhou BORMIO, Italy, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Singaporean Faiz Basha is the first competitor to represent his country in a snow sport at the Olympic Winter Games and his road to the frozen slopes from his tropical nation included unconventional training on inline skates.

Age of Sports' channel will broadcast his giant slalom and slalom events live on Feb 14 and 16. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Of the 25 countries that responded to USA Today's inquiry, Team USA ranks in the middle of the pack. The United States pays $37,500 to athletes who win a gold medal, $22,500 for silver medalists and $15,000 for bronze-medal winners. Those figures rank 15th out of the 25 country sample.