Bonaly returns to her roots in Nice

Figure skating legend Surya Bonaly took to the ice in her former hometown of Nice on Wednesday during the opening ceremony for the world championships to support a new anti-racism organisation. The Las Vegas-based skater, who many consider to have been a victim of racism during her career, has given her backing to La France des Talents et des Couleurs (France of Talent and Colour), which tackles all forms of discrimination. "I have quite a few charities I work with but this is the first time I have given my support to an association against racism," the 38-year-old, who was born in Nice but whose origins are in the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, told AFP. A five-time European and nine-time French national champion, Bonaly, the 1991 world junior champion, never stood on top of the world podium and had to settle for silver three times. She never won an Olympic medal. Despite her renowned athleticism and jumping ability, Bonaly, who was adopted as a baby and grew up in Nice, lacked the conventional style favoured by the judges. It caused frustration for Bonaly, who admits that even now people ask her about the 1994 worlds in Japan when she took off her silver medal in disgust because she felt she should have won gold and not home skater Yuka Sato. "It's incredible that is what people still remember," said Bonaly, who has been a US citizen since 2004. "But my aim isn't to say it's a personal thing that I want to bring up after 20 years." She insists the colour of her skin was not one which preoccupied her as a young skater. "I was young and naive. I never really thought about that or saw it. When you're a sports person you think just about what's happening on the ice. That's number one. "Maybe my mother paid a lot of attention to that and Didier (Gailhaguet, her first coach) as well. They protected me." Her biggest inspiration was former world champion and Olympic medallist Debi Thomas and she hopes that her own legacy has helped to inspire future skaters. "A lot of people say they started skating because of me," she said. "Debi Thomas, in the 1980s, opened the doors for me. She was the first black skater. She was lucky to be American so she had her incredible country who supported her. When she went to the Olympics (1988) and got a medal it was incredible. "When she was the world champion in Geneva (1986) I was ecstatic. I was the generation just after. Mentally, that helped me a lot." Nowadays, Bonaly spends most of her time coaching young students in Las Vegas, the majority of whom are black or of mixed race. "Their parents were fans. I have a Norwegian student who is black. Her mother who is from Senegal said that she saw me at Lillehammer (Olympics, 1994). "The parents feel confident, reassured and know it's possible." She feels confident for the future of black skaters, like Vanessa James, Yretha Silete and Mae-Berenice Meite, who are all on the France national team. "I don't know why all the black skaters are in France. It's starting in the United States a bit but it's difficult. In Cleveland there's a club where there are only blacks. I find that a bit shocking. "The next generation will surely not be like that. It's more people over 50 who are racist." But Bonaly believes the biggest barrier to success in figure skating these days is also financial. "Skating costs a lot," she said. "It's a sport for rich people. If you don't have money you can't do a sport like this, you go and play football."