Willing to change the rules for a brighter future | Surya Bonaly | TEDxTorino

Surya talks about her life, from the childhood in France until the Olympics. A story of courage, broken rules, but also cooperation - between her and her family, as she wouldn't have achieved all of this alone, and between athletes around the world, as sports can overcome also the most rigid national barriers.

Surya Bonaly is a French ex-ice skater. Born in Nice, but native from Réunion, Surya was adopted when she was just 18 months old and started skating at the age of 11. French National Champion for nine consecutive years and European for five, she was the first female skater in history to try a quadruple jump at the 1989 European Championships. She also competed at the Winter Olympics in 1990, where she gained the fifth place, and in 1994, where she arrived fourth.
However, she is famous not only for her medals: in fact, she is the only skater in the world that can do a backflip landing on one foot. Once she lost the possibility to win, Surya did this jump - forbidden in the official competitions - in her free skating at the 1998 Olympics, being so penalised by the judges, but celebrated by the audience. Today, she is an ice-skating coach in the US.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

I came today as an Olympian
and an adoptee.

I came today as someone who left an image
in my sport, figure skating,

and who left an impact in sports.

The day I was born, my life was different,

not typical.

After couple days after my birth,

my biological mum
decided to give me up for adoption

in the South of France, in hospital.

I had couple months where I was alone,

and suddenly, a French white couple
decided to adopt me

and change my life forever

and take me home.

My life was altered
and beautiful ever since.

My parents were just regular people

who gave me everything,

gave me opportunity
to be a happy and healthy child,

and was surrounded by lots of love.

I can say that I was
very lucky being adopted.

It was like winning lottery.

I've been participating
at three Winter Olympic Games.

My first one was in 1992
in Albertville, in my home country.

I was asked by the Olympic Committee
to give the Olympics off

on behalf of the athletes.

Second was in 1994 in Lillehammer.

And my third and last Olympics
was in 1998 in Nagano, Japan.

That was my last competition
as an amateur.

And somehow, I decided
to do the best element that I had -

was actually the backflip,
landing on one foot.

That was never performed,
ever in competition.

Yup, that was wild.

As a pioneer in sports,

I wanted to be the first-ever skater

to do a backflip on Olympic ice.

I had the opportunity and chance

to have an amazing career.

I had chance to do lot of sports
when I was young,

encouraged by my mother as a sport coach.

I was somehow good at everything I tried.

I did diving, fencing, horse-riding,

many sports except
catching a ball - no good at all.

My mum, one day, drove me
to a scary gymnastics centre.

And somehow, being so tiny at my age
was actually an advantage

and became one of my best choices.

I even became world champion
in tumbling at 12.

And gymnastics brought me the skill
that I would use later on in my career

to attempt wonderful tricks
like backflips or quadruple jumps.

I was actually the first female
ever to attempt a quadruple in skating

in the whole world.

I remember when I was nine years old,

one of my skating coaches told me
that I couldn't do a double jump.

Didn't even allow me to even try it.

So, my mum and I decided
to go to another skating rink

and practice over and over
that forbidden jump.

And guess what?

I finally learned it.

So, for me and my mum,
it was actually a triumph.

That day, I was so full
of joy and so happy.

But the next day, my coach saw that jump.

Unfortunately, he was mad at me

because I was disobeying him.

And I was too young,
and I was improving too fast.

So, I was kind of just mixing and changing
the whole skating world back then.

Back in the days,
my mum became more attentive,

tried to spend time
watching me at practice.

Even though she even tried to hide herself
behind flower or tree pots,

but she would always be here
to watch me practice.

And eventually, she became
my full-time skating coach

even though I did have amazing
and world-renowned coaches.

My life was for sure different,

but I had wonderful experience.

I was so excited
to participate in the Olympics

and be able to have this experience

of being in the middle of those countries.

As champions,

we are so lucky to be
and participate in Olympic Games -

knowing that there is more
than 200 countries meeting together -

and spend two weeks
during those Olympics together

living under one roof
and following those rules:

respect, sportsmanship,

competition, and peace.

And those rules are so important.

I think that ...

competing all over the world
gave me such experience.

I had the chance to travel
all over the world,

competing, performing.

I even had the experience and the chance

to go to North Korea three times.

Yeah, like you can imagine,
North Korea looks sometimes strange,

but I did perform there.

And I had the chance to perform
and be respected

like in any other places
that I would perform.

North Korean people
were a little reserved,

but somehow, they
were so respectful to us,

to my teammates.

And whether I was black,
I came as a French with American address,

somehow, they liked me

and respected me like all my other peers.

I think sports have the capacity
to break barriers.

And that's wonderful.

Often, sports work
better than governments.

Sports have the capacity to bring people,

unite with happiness, love
all over the world.

And I am so lucky to be an athlete

who had the chance to perform
in front everyone.

I would say that I was lucky
to have parents who helped me,

parents who gave me a good education.

They continually gave me
the sense of keeping my skills,

to try to speak up, to be a better person.

And as an athlete,

it's important to be able to show
what you want to do,

to show to the world that you have power.

And I can say that I am
very thankful to my parents

to give me that strength and that courage.

You probably wonder,
How did I come that far?

You probably think that it came easy.

No.

Every day I practised, every year,
for 7, 10 hours a day.

But somehow, the strength, the love,
and the power of my sport

made me become who I am today.

And I am just blessed

to be here in front of you today

as an ambassador for peace.

And I'm here,

and I hope that my skating life impacted
a lot of people who did watch me

and will probably inspire
many lives in the future.

Thank you.

(Applause)