Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda (born 15 May 1996) is an Eritrean-Canadian alpine skier and Ski Cross athlete. Abeda competed for Eritrea at the 2018 Winter Olympics in the alpine skiing events. Abeda became the first athlete to compete for Eritrea at the Winter Olympics. He finished 61st in the Giant Slalom event and did not finish the first run of the Slalom event. Abeda's parents fled the Eritrean War of Independence in the 1980s and emigrated to Canada. Abeda also represented the country at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics in 2012 in Innsbruck, Austria. Abeda announced his intentions to take the 2018/2019 season off and attend university after the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. He hinted that he would return for the 2022 Winter Olympics games, but also at the possibility of retirement. As of 2021, his FIS status indicates that he competed in two races in April 2021 confirming his return to Alpine. In September 2021, he confirmed his intentions to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. On December 21, 2021, Abeda qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics; shortly after his event, he announced his retirement. Early life Abeda was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta, to Eritrean immigrants Walday Abeda and Ariam Abeda. His parents settled in Fort McMurray after his father received an entry-level engineering job. His father is a geological engineer who works in the Oil and Gas industry. He started skiing at the age three after his sister took a day trip to the local ski hill and convinced his parents to enroll his siblings into the team. Abeda and his brother wanted to try hockey, but his parents were reluctant and afraid of injuries that might occur. Abeda's family moved to Calgary in 2003 and he started to develop a passion for Alpine Skiing when he started training in the Rocky Mountains at Banff Sunshine. While Abeda enjoyed the different environment, it was not until he was ten years old that he thought about pursuing an Olympic Career when his coach TJ pushed him outside of his comfort zone. Subsequently, Abeda achieved high rankings in regional races and qualified for national events. Career In 2011, he decided to compete for Eritrea in the hopes of competing in the 2012 Youth Olympic games in Innsbruck, Austria. Having two parents of Eritrean descent, Abeda was granted Eritrean citizenship and a passport. He made his first international appearances in 2012