New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- A lot has changed for Arif Khan since the last Winter Olympics where he was the lone Indian contestant. Reality check apart - Arif was 45th in Giant Slalom (GS) and couldn't finish the race in Slalom - he got married, became a dad, and saw his younger brother grow into an international snowboarder. Professionally though, things have remained in a frustrating stalemate. He laments the non-existent infrastructure at home, wishes for quality competition, and yearns for international exposure. Last year, India's ace skier started a crowdfunding campaign to fuel his Olympic dream but fell way short. "It takes a minimum of 80,000 euros a season considering the cost of equipment, travel and logistics. I managed around 5000 euros through crowdfunding," Arif said from the north Italian town of Bormio, where he will compete on February 16. The 35-year-old enters his second successive Olympics hoping to better his Beijing returns and end his international career on a high - the 2026 Winter Games will be his swansong. "It will be my last Olympics. I plan to retire after this and take up administrative duties in Ski and Snowboard India (SSI) to help put proper systems and structures in place," he said. The Olympic quota in slalom was determined using the average of an athlete's five best results between July 1, 2024 and January 18, 2026. Athletes are required to maintain an average of under 120 FIS points, calculated from their best five scores during the qualification period. "Qualifying for the Olympics gave me immense satisfaction because the standards were pretty world class. To make the automatic cut made me super happy," he said. Arif logged nine results below the 120-point threshold with seven of those performances coming in Dubai while the rest were recorded at Arieseni in Romania. His foremost goal at the Olympics will be to finish inside the top 30 and "showcase my skills to the world." "The Slalom event will see 90 athletes and to end within top 30 will be ideal. I want to end my international career with that result," he said....