Former champion Hamilton finds an 'ice' way to celebrate 40th anniversary of Sarajevo Games victory

Scott Hamilton can scarcely believe that it has been four decades since he stood atop the Olympic podium in Sarajevo.

To commemorate the anniversary of that night at Zetra Olympic Hall, the American figure skating icon is planning to reunite with the rest of the podium — Canadian silver medalist Brian Orser and Slovakian bronze medalist Jozef Sabovcik, who competed for Czechoslovakia at the time — for a series of events to raise funds for his foundation and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The event on Feb 16 at Glide at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York is being called "40 Years of Going for Gold", and will include events involving Nathan Chen, who captured gold for the US at the 2022 Beijing Games, and Olympic figure skater Mariah Bell.

"It's mind-boggling to believe 40 years have passed since I stood on the podium," said Hamilton, who also competed at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where he carried the flag for the opening ceremony and wound up finishing fifth.

"I can't wait to reunite with Brian and Jozef to commemorate our accomplishments," Hamilton said. "I remember thinking about my mom while the national anthem played, wishing she would have survived cancer to witness such an accomplishment."

Hamilton retired from international competition after the Sarajevo Games, and he spent many years performing in shows. He also spent time in broadcasting, and has worked extensively on the board of directors for Special Olympics International.

Yet, much of his post-skating life has been dedicated to his Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, raising money for cancer research.

Hamilton waged a much-publicized battle against testicular cancer in 1997, and seven years later, doctors discovered a benign brain tumor. He had surgery in 2010 to prevent a recurrence of the tumor, only to have an artery nicked in the process, causing an aneurysm and forcing him to undergo an additional procedure.

He received a third brain tumor diagnosis in 2016, but, the following March, he announced it had shrunk without chemotherapy.

"I've dedicated my life to fund research that targets and treats cancer, while sparing patients from the harsh side effects of that treatment," Hamilton said. "Feb 16 will always be a special date for me, and I'm excited to be in New York to share it with such incredible champions and remarkable cancer fundraisers."

Agencies via Xinhua