- Ralf Etienne, a 36-year-old Bank of America investment banker in London, is training to become Haiti’s first Winter Paralympian in three-track skiing at the 2026 Games in Italy.
- He lost a leg in Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, rebuilt his life through U.S. education and an MBA, and joined BofA’s private equity group before U.S. green-card policy changes for Haitians pushed him to relocate to London.
- Etienne juggles long banking workweeks with weekend training in the Alps alongside the Swiss Paralympic team while racing across Europe to secure qualification.
- His story highlights how immigration policy, corporate support, funding constraints, and personal resilience intersect in the careers of elite adaptive athletes.
Read More
Ralf Etienne’s story illustrates a rare confluence of high-performance sport and high-stakes finance, brought into sharp focus by broader immigration policy and corporate values. Etienne’s ambition to become Haiti’s first Winter Paralympics competitor builds not just from a personal narrative of survival—he lost a leg in the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake—but from years of disciplined reinvention: securing U.S. higher education, an MBA, and ultimately a position at Bank of America in private equity. [1]
Visa policy emerges as both barrier and catalyst. Changes in U.S. homeland security rules halting green-card applications for Haitians directly influenced Etienne’s relocation to London. His case underscores how changes in immigration law can disrupt personal ambition and intersect with elite sports trajectories. [1]
Next, the logistical and time pressures: training with the Swiss Paralympic ski team on weekends, engaging in 10 European competitions before the Winter Paralympics, all while maintaining long workweeks in banking. This places huge demands on physical resilience, time management, and financial resources. The Wall Street Journal profile suggests Etienne must also secure travel, equipment, coaching, and competition logistics—all costly. [1]
Strategically for Haiti, Etienne’s representation carries symbolic value and potential to catalyze investment in winter sports infrastructure or programs. For Bank of America, his high-profile dual role could reflect well on ESG (environmental, social, governance) commitments, diversity, and disability inclusion, but also may raise questions about employee workload, corporate flexibility, and what support the bank is willing to offer.
Open questions remain: How is Etienne funding his training, travel, and gear? Is there existing sponsorship or national Olympic/Paralympic committee backing? How will visa and residency issues continue to evolve, potentially affecting travel to competitions? Will his case prompt policy or funding changes—at BofA, in Haiti, or in international adaptive sports?
Overall, Etienne’s journey offers a microcosm of the tensions between high performance in sport and work, immigration dynamics, and identity. If he qualifies, it will be both a personal triumph and a strategic signal for institutions to better integrate support for adaptive athletes pursuing dual-track careers.
Supporting Notes
- Ralf Etienne is 36, works as an investment banker at Bank of America in London, and is training to compete in the Winter Paralympics representing Haiti. [1]
- He lost a leg in Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, later moved to the U.S. for college and an MBA, then joined BofA’s private-equity group in New York in 2022, before relocating to London after U.S. green-card policy changes affected Haitians. [1]
- He trains with the Swiss Paralympic ski team in the Alps on weekends, aims to compete in ten European races before the Games, and must qualify in a three-track skiing event for athletes who compete on one leg. [1]
- He has already been officially designated by Haiti as its first-ever representative at a Winter Paralympics; the Games are set for March 2026 in Italy. [1]
- Work demands are intense: weekday banking duties with Excel, PowerPoint, pitching, client work; weekends devoted to skiing and competition prep. [1]
- Policy context: U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision in December 2025 to stop processing green-card applications for Haitians contributed directly to Etienne’s move abroad. [1]
Sources
- [1] www.wsj.com (The Wall Street Journal) — Fri December 26, 2025