MILANO CORTINA 2026 THE TARGET AS HOST OF NEXT WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
This week, the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) hosted six Irish Winter Olympic hopefuls at a team camp in Dublin, with others dialling in online. With just nine months to go until the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, the camp provided a valuable opportunity for athletes to connect, receive key updates, and prepare for the months ahead. The Games will take place from 6 – 22 February 2026.
It has been 33 years since Team Ireland first competed at the Winter Olympics, at Chamonix 1992, and since then, 33 athletes have proudly represented Ireland on the world stage. While qualification for Milano Cortina is still ongoing, Irish athletes are currently vying for places across a range of disciplines, including Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing (Moguls), Snowboard (Halfpipe), Luge, Skeleton, Short Track Skating, and Ice Dancing.
A notable feature of Milano Cortina 2026 is its commitment to sustainability, reflected in a broader geographical spread of competition venues across six distinct clusters. With Ireland targeting between five and eight Olympic places, there is potential for Irish athletes to compete in up to five of those clusters. The Opening Ceremony will take place at Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium, with athlete parades held locally in each cluster to retain an athlete-centred approach. The Closing Ceremony will be held in the historic Verona Arena.
Over the two-day camp, athletes took part in a range of sessions including Games planning, psychology and performance support, and media training. They also heard from two-time Olympic boxing champion Kellie Harrington, who delivered an inspiring talk on managing the pressures of elite competition, drawing on her own Olympic experiences.
The camp also included a special event attended by the OFI President, Lochlann Walsh, OFI CEO Peter Sherrard, Italian Ambassador to Ireland Nicola Faganello, Sport Ireland CEO Dr. Una May, and OFI sponsors and partners. The athletes in attendance, many of whom are recipients of IOC Milano Cortina Scholarship funding, included two-time Olympian Thomas Maloney Westgaard (Cross-Country Skiing), Olympian Elsa Desmond (Luge), Alpine skiers Cormac Comerford and Elle Murphy, and Short Track Skaters Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien.
Team Ireland Chef de Mission for the Milano Cortina Olympics, Nancy Chillingworth, said,
“This was a hugely valuable team-building camp. We rarely get the chance to bring our winter athletes together, as they’re usually competing across the globe. Over the past two days, we were delighted that six of the Milano Cortina potential athletes were able to attend the camp in person. They made the most of their time here, taking full advantage of the world-class facilities at the Sport Ireland Institute, who ran a range of workshops covering everything from anti-doping and performance management to psychology and a boxing-based team-building session. They also attended a storytelling workshop, which was followed by a media day.
“A standout moment was the talk with Kellie, who generously shared her time, answered questions, and offered invaluable advice on handling the pressures of high-level performance.”
Aiming for his third Olympic Games, Thomas Maloney Westgaard welcomed the opportunity to gather as one team,
“Being here is all about building the team spirit. Ireland is a very small winter sport nation and we all do very different events but it is great that we are all here together this week working towards this one goal. The Olympics is the pinnacle of a sports career, and this is the ideal way to kick off such an important year for us all.”
Targeting qualification for his first Olympics, Liam O’Brien is one of two Short Track Skaters aiming for Milano Cortina 2026. Having missed out on Beijing 2022 by one spot, the magnitude of the Olympics is not lost on him,
“Getting together here, at the Irish Olympic headquarters, has been very special. We got to get to know the other athletes but also, to see the Olympic rings here and the Irish crest on our jerseys, it really hits home to you that you are representing Ireland and are so proud to do it.”
Alpine Skier, Cormac Comerford added,
“It’s really lovely to meet all these other people who are competing in winter sports, to chat and share stories and hear about what they’re doing because we all share similar experiences, even if it’s different sports. We are all representing Ireland.
“OFI have really taken the position that winter sports athletes can, and are, just as professional and serious. They have really put us on a level footing with summer sports. They’ve done their utmost to give us equal treatment and without that we wouldn’t have so many athletes competing fulltime, and at such a high level, now.”
As the Olympic qualification period intensifies over the coming months, Ireland is already set to secure three quota places (in Cross-Country Skiing, and male and female Alpine Skiing). Several other athletes remain in strong contention, with the final team size expected to be confirmed by mid-January, just weeks before the Opening Ceremony.