Shane O’Connor
Snowsports
BIOGRAPHY
Shane O’Connor represented Ireland in slalom skiing at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Born in Dublin, he competed as an athlete with the Ski Club of Ireland and enjoyed a long international career at the highest level of alpine skiing.
O’Connor represented Ireland at five FIS Alpine World Ski Championships: Morioka, Japan (1993); St. Moritz, Switzerland (2003); Bormio, Italy (2005); Åre, Sweden (2006); and Val d’Isère, France (2009).
Following his competitive career, he continued to contribute to Irish sport through governance and athlete representation, serving as Chair of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission and as a member of the OFI Board from 2017 to 2023.
WINTER OLYMPICS NEWS
Milano Cortina 2026 – Team Ireland Update
Excitement continues to build as we move closer to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, scheduled for 6–22 February 2026. The Olympic flame has now completed its handover in Athens and begun a 12,000 km torch relay across Italy, visiting all 110 provinces in the lead-up to opening night in Milan. Organisers report [...]
The Power of Perseverance: How Cross-country skier Thomas Maloney Westgård pushed past expectations
IF ANYONE embodies the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s ‘Dare to Believe’ motto it is the country’s top cross-country skier and programme ambassador Thomas Maloney Westgård. It is 11 years since the 6’ 1” Norwegian-Irish skier first represented Ireland and since then he has shot up through the ranks of the world’s toughest endurance athletes to [...]
MILANO CORTINA 2026 – CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
On the road to Milano Cortina, we will give you the key sports and athletes that are aiming to qualify and represent #TeamIreland at the Winter Olympic Games in February 2026! Qualification for cross-country skiing at Milano Cortina 2026 is based on the World Championships in 2025 and the Nation Rankings 2024/2025. Team Ireland [...]
Olympic flame lit in Ancient Olympia as Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Torch Relay begins
The Olympic flame for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games was lit today in Ancient Olympia, the historic birthplace of the Olympic Games. The ceremony marks the beginning of the flame’s journey towards Italy, where it will arrive on 4 December to travel across the country on its way to the Opening Ceremony on [...]
MILANO CORTINA 2026 – LUGE
On the road to Milano Cortina, we will give you the key sports and athletes that are aiming to qualify and represent #TeamIreland at the Winter Olympic Games in February 2026! In Cortina, 25 quota spots will be available for athletes in the Women's Single, with Elsa Desmond's results over the 2025/2026 season contributing to [...]
CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE MILANO CORTINA 2026 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES TO BE A TRIBUTE TO “BEAUTY IN ACTION”
“Beauty in Action” is the title of the Closing Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games that will take place on the 22nd of February 2026 at Arena di Verona. At the Verona Philharmonic Theater, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 presented today the creative theme of the closing event of the next Olympic Winter [...]