Feature: French painter Ahr adds Paralympic experience to his 17th Olympic journey

by sportswriters Li Chunyu, Wang Kaiyan and Yu Aicen

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, March 14 (Xinhua) -- On a bustling avenue at central Cortina, Italy, passersby stop to watch French artist Marc Ahr transform blank paper into vibrant watercolor scenes of the ongoing Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

The 63-year-old painter arrived in Cortina last December before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, who continued his work until the Winter Paralympics in March.

Milan-Cortina 2026 marks Ahr's 17th Olympic journey - a career spanning more than three decades since he first picked up his brush at the Albertville 1992 Winter Games in his native country.

However, he didn't always choose to stay in the host city for extra months to experience the Paralympics. "I think I did a minimum of eight Paralympics, including Paris 2024 and the current Milan-Cortina," Ahr explained.

This time in Cortina, he has set up a temporary studio on Corso Italia, near the Games' cauldron at Piazza Dibona, capturing both the mountain backdrop and the human stories unfolding around him.

"I enjoy traveling, because I learn more when I meet people in different countries and regions," Ahr said.

"Cortina is a smaller city, so I can meet the people again. Some other cities are too big. Then you couldn't see people as much."

The contrast between his two most recent journeys is striking.

"At Paris 2024, I saw several athletes. But in Cortina, I saw hundreds. It's more interesting for me to meet not only the athletes but everyone," he said.

Every day from morning till night, his exquisite works attracted passersby to stop, appreciate, and buy some of them. He painted with passion, engaging with onlookers while adding delicate washes of color to his sketches.

By observing the accent, clothing, and even pins or national flag in hands, Ahr tried to identify each customer's nationality. Then, he greeted them in their native language to verify if his guess was correct.

"I am meeting very nice people from all around the world. I drew the mountains and the Games here. I love the experience," he said.

As a main competition zone at the Winter Paralympics, Cortina covers three out of the six sports, including para alpine skiing, para snowboard, and wheelchair curling.

"I have been to all the venues in Cortina and noted down the details. It may take a week or nine days to finish a relatively large painting," said Ahr.

Throughout his career, Ahr has a deep memory for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. "The opening ceremony on August 8, 2008, starting at 8:08 in the evening. The highest temperature of the day was over 30 degrees Celsius. It was very humid. The color didn't want to dry when I painted. It was difficult to paint," he recalled.

"So many people in the Bird's Nest of Beijing. There were too many details. It was almost impossible to draw everything. Really impressive," he added.

"With the energy of the Olympics, painting is a sport too. Why not?" Ahr said. ■