GB Ski & Snowboard Teams Announced for Milan-Cortina Olympics

GB Snowsport has announced the athletes heading out to Italy to complete in The Games, There are realistic prospects of medals after disappointment four years ago. UPDATED

There are no great surprises as Team GB takes twenty snowsport athletes to the 2026 Winter Games – there are some realistic medal hopes.

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics start on Friday 6th February and end on Sunday 22nd February.

Park & Pipe:

  • Zoe Atkin – Freeski Halfpipe
  • Gus Kenworthy – Freeski Halfpipe
  • Liam Richards – Freeski Halfpipe
  • Chris McCormick – Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air
  • Kirsty Muir – Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air
  • Mia Brookes – Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air
  • Maisie Hill – Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air
  • Txema Mazet-Brown – Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air

Alpine Skiing:

  • Billy Major – Slalom
  • Dave Ryding – Slalom
  • Laurie Taylor – Slalom

Cross-Country:

  • James Clugnet
  • Joe Davies
  • Andrew Musgrave
  • Anna Pryce

Snowboard Cross:

  • Charlotte Bankes – Individual and team
  • Huw Nightingale – Individual and team

Ski Cross:

  • Ollie Davies

Moguls:

  • Makayla Gerken Schofield
  • Mateo Jeannesson

Some, including Mia Brookes, Charlotte Bankes, Zoe Atkin, & Kirsty Muir are medal contenders.

Shortly after being officially told of her place on the Olympic team on Friday Mia Brookes won gold at the X-Games:

Charlotte Bankes took victory in her last World Cup snowboard cross event:

“Being named to Team GB for Milan Cortina 2026 is a proud and motivating moment for me,” said Zoe Atkin.

“It reflects the hard work and commitment that goes into every day of training, and it gives me even more drive as I prepare to compete on the Olympic stage.”

She celebrated place on Team GB with a gold at the X Games – a second gold for GB after Mia Brooke’s earlier win.

Zoe is no stranger to the Wolrd Cup podium this season.

She is competing at a second Olympic Games and aiming to emulate her sister, Izzy, who won bronze at PyeongChang in 2018 in freeski slopestyle.

Kirsty Muir has had a good season so far this season that has seen the 21-year-old Scot claim two World Cup top spots in both women’s freeski slopestyle and big air.

She also won a gold at the  X Games:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GB Snowsport (@gbsnowsport)

“It’s a real honour to be selected to represent Team GB again,” said the alpine ski favourite, Dave Ryding.

“I am looking forward to performing on the biggest stage in front of a central European crowd for the first time in my Olympic career and I can’t wait to get out there and into the action.

“I’ve never taken for granted what it means to represent my country and to have the chance to compete for Great Britain at an Olympic Games for the fifth time is something I could only have dreamed of when I went to my first Games back in 2010.”

Dave is competing in his last Winter Olympics and some of the loudest British cheers will be for ‘The Rocket’.

Dave Ryding in Schladming, Jan 2024. Image © PlanetSKI

Dave Ryding in Schladming. Image © PlanetSKI

Like Dave, Andrew Musgrave will compete at his fifth Olympics as he participates in the cross-country.

“Over the past four years, our skiers and snowboarders have shown they’re capable of mixing it with the very best in the world, and the squad that’s heading out for these Games is a real reflection of the talent, grit, and will to win that makes British sport so special,” said the GB Snowsport chief executive, Vicky Gosling.

UK Sport believes Team GB could win between four and eight medals at The Games.

The came home from the Beijing 2022 Games with just two medals.

The nation’s best medal haul at a Winter Games is five, achieved at Sochi 2014 and matched in Pyeongchang four years later.

The International Olympic Committee President, Kirsty Coventry, has expressed her anticipation for the Winter Olympics.

“A lot of the team are already in Milano Cortina.,” said Kirsty Coventry.

“Myself and the team, will be arriving on Monday. So, we’re looking forward to being on the ground, but really very excited about everything that has happened.”

The Milan-Cortina Olympics will be the biggest Winter Games to be staged in the event’s history.

There will be 2,900 athletes from over 90 National Olympic Committees expected.

It will also be the biggest in geographic terms – venues are spread out all over an area of over 22,000 km².

This has attracted some criticism form an environmental and transport/organisational perspective.

Asked by journalist whether she had talked to United States counterpart Donald Trump since she was elected leader of the IOC close to a year ago Coventry said they had not engaged in ‘formal communication’ yet.

The US vice-president JD Vance will be representing the USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The IOC leader stated that she is “looking forward to meeting with JD Vance and his team” and steered clear of relaying any form of disappointment or frustration with the recent actions and pronouncements of the Trump administration.

The BBC will broadcast more than 450 hours of live action from the Games.

PlanetSKI: Number 1 for digital ski news

Your digital platform for ski news, resort information, travel, equipment rental, sport, money saving deals and everything connected with snowsports – web site, social media & more.