Australian athletes eyeing off Winter Olympic glory with six months to go

Courtesy Australian Olympic Committee

Six months from today the Olympic cauldron will be lit in Milano Cortina, with an expected Australian Olympic team of around 60 athletes set to compete from 6-22 February 2026.

 2900 athletes from more than 90 nations will go head-to-head in eight competition locations across the northern Italian Alps, making this the most geographically widespread Winter Olympics ever. 

With qualification for most Winter Olympic disciplines based on athletes’ world rankings in January 2026, Australia’s athletes are intently building towards this vital upcoming season to make their Milano Cortina Olympic dreams a reality.

Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Alisa Camplin said athletes and support staff are laser focused on doing everything possible to be at their best for the upcoming Olympic season.

“Six months out from Milano Cortina there’s immense anticipation,” Ms Camplin said. “No matter who you are, what your world ranking is or which sport you compete in, as an athlete you know that the next six months are vital to unlocking your dream and setting up your Olympic potential.

“Every minute, every rep, every practise counts, to put yourself in a position physically, emotionally, mentally and tactically to firstly make the Australian Winter Olympic Team and then represent at the Games. An Olympic dream is so powerful but it’s also incredibly fragile, you need to get so many things right to be at your best when your moment comes.

“I understand the opportunity and pressures our athletes are navigating, and I’m just so proud of the efforts that they and their coaches are putting in.

“Many of our teams are currently training and competing in world class facilities across Australia’s amazing winter resorts. From snowboard cross athletes at Mt Hotham to mogul skiers at Perisher, aerialists at Mt Buller, cross country skiers at Falls Creek, to park and pipe athletes at Thredbo, Australia’s winter resorts are providing the perfect training base for our Olympians and those aspiring to make their first Games in 2026.

“Our athletes really value the extra time on snow in the southern hemisphere, and they love sharing their passion, and the slopes, with young Australians who might one day also have Olympic aspirations. 

“With 6 months to go, we are also focused on setting up the best Team environment we can for our athletes, honing in on areas like nutritional support, transport planning, wellbeing and medical coverage – we’re trying to find every positive edge we can to help our athletes in Milano Cortina.”

Beijing 2022 bronze medallist snowboarder Tess Coady is currently training in Thredbo.

“It’s super exciting to be just six months from the Olympics, it’s crazy how quickly it’s come around,” the 24-year-old said.

“The next six months is about getting really confident in my riding and my tricks, to feel really good on my board and make sure I’m enjoying it a lot. 

“I want a really great run for the Games and I want Aussie fans to be able to watch good snowboarding and good vibes.”

Alpine skier Louis Muhlen-Schulte has been making the most of the bumper Australian snow season, taking to the slopes at Mt Hotham to prepare for the upcoming season.

“It feels more real now, but there’s plenty of work to do,” he said. “Talking to everyone from other disciplines, everyone’s working hard, it’s sweet to see the winter sports environment in Australia growing and pushing hard to the Games.

“I train close to the Olympic venue [at Bormio], I know the environment and the area. It’s maybe not a home field advantage, but as close as I can be as an Australian in Italy.”

MILANO CORTINA 2026 FAST FACTS

The Australian Team

• Australia is expected to send a team of around 60 athletes from 12 sports. In contrast, the Australian Team at the Cortina D’Amprezzo Games in 1956 had only 10 competitors - eight men and two women.
• Olympic champion aerial skier Alisa Camplin is the Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission for the Milano Cortina Games
• Australian athletes are in their qualification phase – qualifying for the Games for majority of sports is based on World Ranking in December 2025 and January 2026 – meaning the fight to qualify and compete will go right up until the Games
• The Australian Olympic Team in Beijing 2022 Winter Games secured our greatest ever medal haul with four medals – one gold, two silver and bronze.
• The 2026 Winter Games will see Ski Mountaineering make its Olympic debut, while two new events - dual moguls and the aerials mixed team relay - present even greater opportunities for Australia’s freestyle skiers to shine at the Games.

The Games

• 2900 athletes from more than 90 nations will compete from 6 – 22 February 2026, with the Games hosting 116 medal events across 16 sports.
• Milano Cortina 2026 is the first time two cities have officially hosted an Olympics and marks the third time Italy has hosted a Winter Olympics – 20 years on from Torino 2006 and 70 years after Cortina hosted for the first time in 1956 (Cortina D’Ampezzo).
• From the Opening Ceremony in Milan’s famed San Siro stadium to alpine events in the Dolomite mountains and freestyle skiing and snowboarding in Livigno, athletes will compete across eight separate competition hubs in the most geographically spread Games ever.
• The Games will run from 6 – 22 February 2026
• First competition will commence two days before the Opening Ceremony – with Mixed Curling on 4 December
• Around 2900 athletes from 93 nations will compete across 116 medal events – across 16 winter sports – Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing (includes Aerials, Moguls, Ski Cross and Freeski), Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Ski Mountaineering, Snowboarding (Includes Snowboard Cross, Halfpipe, Big Air, Slopestyle), Speed Skating
• This is the first time two cities will jointly host an Olympic Games. Cortina is around 350km northeast of Milano
• It will be the most geographically widespread Winter Olympics ever – with eight different competition and ceremony venues across the region – a total area of 22,000 km2
• Event gender split of 1538 men, 1362 women (Approx 53/47% gender split – closest in Winter Olympic history)
• The Games mascots are Tina (Olympic mascot) and Milo (Paralympic mascot).
• In the past six months the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee has released the medal designs and the Olympic torch, which will build excitement and anticipation on its 63-day journey through Italy.
• The Olympic torch relay will take place with 10,000 torchbearers transporting the Olympic flame through 110 provinces in Italy, from 6 December 2025 to arrive at the Opening Ceremony in Milan on 6 February.

The Events

• 116 medal events across 16 winter sports
• Ski Mountaineering (Ski Mo) will make its Olympic debut – with men’s sprint, women’s sprint and mixed team relay.
• Additional events across other sports - Skeleton Mixed Team, Luge Women’s Doubles, Men’s & Women’s Dual Moguls, Women’s Large Hill Ski Jumping,
• Some iconic locations will host Olympic events including Opening Ceremony at San Siro - home ground of AC Milan and Inter Milan football clubs, the Closing Ceremony will be at the Verona Arena – built almost 2000 years ago, and the impressive slopes of the Dolomites will host various outdoor events.

Further information on Milano Cortina 2026: www.milanocortina2026.olympics.com/en