National Olympic Committee Announces UAE’s Participation in Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games

The National Olympic Committee has revealed details of the UAE's participation in the 26th edition of the Winter Olympic Games, to be hosted by the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina from 6th to 22nd February 2026. The Games will see the participation of around 2,900 elite athletes from across the world, competing for 114 sets of medals across eight sports and 16 disciplines. This participation marks the UAE’s first-ever appearance at this global Winter Olympic event.

The UAE will be represented in this edition by Aleksander Estridge and Piera Hudson in the alpine skiing competitions, which will take place over three days as part of the official programme. Both athletes bring an impressive record of achievements and results that enabled them to qualify on merit and secure their place among the world’s elite athletes.

This was announced during a press conference held on Thursday by the UAE National Olympic Committee at its headquarters in Dubai. It was attended by Hamel Al Qubaisi, Vice President of the UAE Winter Sports Federation; Ahmed Al Tayeb, Director of Technical and Sports Affairs at the UAE National Olympic Committee; and Mohammed Khadem, Chairman of the Ski Committee at the UAE Winter Sports Federation, along with several media representatives. Aleksander Estridge also participated in the press conference via video conferencing technology.

The opening ceremony will be held simultaneously across four different locations, with Aleksander Estridge carrying the UAE flag in Milan, while Piera Hudson will carry the national flag in Cortina.

Ahmed Al Tayeb conveyed the greetings of Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee. He stressed the significance of this historic participation, which builds on the UAE’s distinguished journey in the Summer Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games, and reflects the development of the national Olympic movement as well as the consolidation of the principle of “participation for competition” adopted by the Committee across all its participations at various levels.

Al Tayeb noted that, thanks to the support of its wise leadership and the efforts of its dedicated citizens, the United Arab Emirates has become an active and prominent presence on the international sporting stage. This has been achieved through the consistently high standards and distinguished results delivered by its athletes, in addition to the positive and honourable image projected by national delegations, particularly concerning upholding Olympic principles and the values of respect, friendship and excellence.

He also commended the athletes’ efforts and preparations from their official qualification for the Winter Olympic Games for the first time through to the start of competitions next month. These preparations included local and international training camps, advanced preparation programmes, and the ambitious vision of the UAE Winter Sports Federation, which has succeeded in developing promising strategies to ensure sustained participation in winter sports events, despite the country’s climatic conditions.

Hamel Al Qubaisi said, “Today, we take pride in the journey achieved by the UAE Winter Sports Federation, and we look forward to seeing our athletes represent their country with pride on the Olympic stage. The UAE national team’s historic participation in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy represents an unprecedented achievement and affirms that Emirati sport knows no boundaries—neither geographical nor climatic—but is driven by an ambitious vision to build a generation capable of excellence and global competitiveness.”

He added that the UAE Winter Sports Federation played a pivotal role in achieving this milestone by providing technical oversight of training and qualification programmes, developing strategies to ensure athletes’ readiness for international participation, coordinating their involvement in major championships, and offering technical expertise and training programmes in cooperation with international federations. These efforts, he noted, contribute to raising performance standards and consolidating the UAE’s position as an active player on the international stage of winter sports.

The UAE’s previous participations in the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2024, the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, and the Asian Winter Games 2025 have demonstrated the country’s ability to achieve success despite challenges. UAE athletes have benefited from international training programmes, including the FIS Development Programme in Switzerland, and the UAE became an official member of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation in September 2024, further strengthening the nation’s presence on the international stage.

Italy will host the Winter Olympic Games for the third time in its history, following Cortina’s hosting of the 1956 Games 70 years ago and Turin’s organisation of the 2006 edition 20 years ago. The Milano–Cortina 2026 Games are expected to be the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics to date, with an increased number of events dedicated to women. Approximately 1,362 quota places will be allocated to female athletes, compared with 1,538 for male athletes, out of a total of around 2,900 quota places. The programme will also include 50 women’s sporting events.