SNOWSPORTS
The Snowsports Association of Ireland (SAI) is the most active and well known of Irish winter sports in high performance due to their role and impact on Olympic Games participation.
They are affiliated to the International Governing Bodies of the sports, the Federation Internationale De Ski (FIS) as well as the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the World Snowboard Federation (WSF).
They are primarily responsible for the growth and development of cross country and biathlon, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding disciplines and play the key role in supporting Irish athletes to qualify and participate in the Winter Olympic Games.
The Winter Olympics are a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in Chamonix, France.
Irish athletes predominately compete in alpine, cross country, freestyle skiing and snowboard. The qualifying standard for the Winter Olympic Games is set by the International Olympic Committee, while selection of athletes is the prerogative of the Olympic Federation of Ireland.
Snowsports Athletes have represented Ireland and competed at the last five Winter Olympic Games, in Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002, Torino 2006, Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang in 2018. Ireland also sends teams to the Winter Youth Olympic Games and European Youth Olympic Festival.
National Federation: Snowsports Association of Ireland
International Federation: International Ski Federation
SNOWSPORTS NEWS
RECIPIENTS OF €200,000 IOC SCHOLARSHIP FUND REVEALED – MILANO CORTINA 2026
The Olympic Federation of Ireland today revealed the recipients of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Scholarships, with a total pot of almost €200,000 to be distributed among eight athletes, to assist them with their preparations for the next Winter Olympic Games which takes place in Italy in 2026. The athletes represent seven different disciplines, representing …
RECIPIENTS OF €200,000 IOC SCHOLARSHIP FUND REVEALED – MILANO CORTINA 2026 Read More »
OFI Successful In Application For IOC Solidarity Funding For Snowsports And Luge Athletes
The Olympic Federation of Ireland were successful in their application for the Youth Athlete Development programme for the forthcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Gangwon, China which will take place between 19th January and 1st February 2024. A record 1900 athletes is expected to take part at these games, which will be the 4th edition of YOG. The …
RECIPIENTS OF OFI MAKE A DIFFERENCE FUND
ADDITIONAL FUNDS ADDED WITH €115,000 DISTRIBUTED ACROSS 16 SPORTS Following an overwhelming response in applications to the Make a Difference athlete fund that was announced by the OFI Athletes’ Commission earlier this year, the Olympic Federation of Ireland has channelled an additional €50,000 directly to athletes. Athletes across sixteen sports were awarded a total amount …
STRONG SUPER-G SHOWING ROUNDS OUT THE IRISH EYOF CAMPAIGN
YOUTH MULTI-SPORT EVENT COMES TO A CLOSE Team Ireland’s Ethan Bouchard and Eábha McKenna completed their final event on the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) schedule yesterday, competing well in the Super-G. Both competitions took place on Monte Lussari, just outside Tarvisio, on the same piste as the other Alpine races earlier this week. The …
STRONG SUPER-G SHOWING ROUNDS OUT THE IRISH EYOF CAMPAIGN Read More »
SELECTED ATHLETES
Thomas Maloney Westgaard
Thomas Maloney WestgaardSNOWSPORTS BIOGRAPHY IRISH cross-country skier Thomas Maloney Westgaard admits that, in some ways, his life has been unaffected by the global pandemic. “As an endurance athlete you’re nearly always paranoid about your health. If you’re in good shape but get a cold in this game it will take weeks before you’re back on …
Tess Arbez
Tess Arbezsnowsports BIOGRAPHY What’s seldom is wonderful as Tess Arbez found out in 2020 when she took a year out of competitive skiing to concentrate on her biomedical studies in Geneva. The talented 24-year-old French-Irish skier was only 20 when she made her Olympic debut in PyeongChang in 2018. She had put her law studies …
Seamus O’Connor
Seamus O'Connorsnowsports BIOGRAPHY SEAMUS O’Connor may only be 24 but the halfpipe snowboarder is already a two-time Olympian and the eminence gris of Irish snow sports. Raised in California, with paternal grandparents from Drogheda and Dublin, he made history in Sochi eight years ago when he wasn’t just Ireland’s first Olympic snowboarder but also, aged …
Jack Gower
Jack Gowersnowsports BIOGRAPHY JACK Gower’s dad Richard had no idea what he let himself in for when his son called him at the start of the 2020-2021 ski season to ask for some help. Covid had made life difficult on the international circuit where teams were tightly constrained to their own bubble and Jack’s arrangement …
Brendan Newby
Brendan NewbySnowsports BIOGRAPHY A SPECIAL childhood memory and the introduction of his sport into the Winter Olympics meant Brendan ‘Bubba’ Newby (25) achieved his childhood dream in PyeongChang four years ago. “My dad took me to a couple of the events at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City and since then I always wanted …
