Snow way! South Africa is headed to the Winter Olympics

For many of us from warmer climates, our knowledge of winter sports is tiny, and largely informed by films like The Mighty Ducks, The Cutting Edge and, naturally, Cool Runnings.

Still, despite a national unfamiliarity with skating, sliding and most icy pastimes, South Africa is heading to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a record five athletes. It is set to be the country’s biggest Winter Olympic team yet.

Officially titled “Milano Cortina”, the 2026 Winter Olympics will run from Friday February 6 to Sunday February 22 and will be co-hosted by two Italian cities: Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The name reflects a collaboration between Milan’s urban energy and Cortina’s classic alpine setting. The games will welcome about 2,900 athletes from more than 90 national Olympic committees, competing in 116 events.

The South African crew

Our small contingent, tiny compared to the US’s whopping 232-strong team (plus the ICE agents they are sending to help support American security operations – yes, that is a thing), includes two teenagers: 17-year-old Thomas Weir and 18-year-old Lara Markthaler. They’re both competing in alpine skiing, a sport that involves racing down marked, snow-covered courses.

They are joined by 21-year-old Malica Malherbe, who will compete in freestyle skiing, a category that includes events such as aerials, moguls, slopestyle and big air, where athletes are judged on a combination of technical execution and difficulty.

Skeleton athlete Nicole Burger, 31, will represent South Africa in one of the fastest sports on the Winter Olympic programme, racing headfirst on a sled down a frozen track.

Completing the team is 35-year-old Matthew Smith. He’s taking part in cross-country skiing, which is an endurance discipline that sees athletes traverse long-distance courses using strength and technique rather than downhill momentum. Amazingly, Smith went from cross-country ski newbie to qualifying from the event in only three years. All five athletes are set to make their Olympic debuts at the Milano Cortina games.

Past performances

South Africa has never won a medal at the Winter Olympic Games. Since debuting at the event in 1960, the country has sent a small handful of athletes to six Winter Games – in 1960, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2018. We’ve competed in disciplines such as figure skating, alpine skiing and skeleton. The best result to date remains a 13^th-place finish by a pairs figure skating team at the 1960 games.

Given South Africa’s decades-long absence from international sport during the apartheid era, that 1960 appearance often raises eyebrows. At the time, however, the International Olympic Committee still viewed racial segregation as an internal issue rather than a breach of the Olympic Charter. As a result, South Africa was allowed to compete at both the 1960 Winter Olympics and the Summer Games in Rome. The global sporting boycott only gathered real force in the years that followed, culminating in South Africa’s formal Olympic ban in 1964.

Special skills

South Africa has, however, won medals at the Special Olympics Winter Games, a fact we are embarrassed to admit we did not know, and one we should have celebrated more loudly as a country. The most recent success came at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games, which were held in Turin, Italy.

Team South Africa delivered a historic performance, with all six athletes returning home with gongs. Figure skater Naledi Hlalele claimed gold, while figure skaters Bianca Basson and Kenneth Mokabo, and short track speed skater Shane Bentley, earned silver. Bronze medals went to Tyrell Sykes for figure skating and Shirnel Swarts for short track speed skating.

Africa goes alpine

South Africa will not be the only African nation on the start list. Athletes from seven other African countries are expected to compete at Milano Cortina 2026. They’re representing Kenya, Morocco, Madagascar, Benin, Nigeria, Eritrea and Guinea-Bissau.

Benin and Guinea-Bissau will each make their Winter Olympic debuts, both represented by a single alpine skier. Meanwhile, Madagascar’s Mialitiana Clerc is set to make history as the first African woman to compete at three Winter Olympic Games in any sport.

Feel the rhythm

Does this all feel very Cool Runnings-esque, with unexpected underdogs from warmer nations lining up at the Winter Olympics? You’re not wrong – it made us think of the 1993 hit movie too – but wait for it: the real-life Jamaican bobsleigh team is back and heading to Italy. This frankly delights us and we hope that the foursome “freeze those Rastafarian nay-nays off” in real style and with much success.

In fact, Jamaica is eyeing a historic showing at Milano Cortina 2026 with entrants in the women’s monobob, two-man and four-man events. Far from a novelty, the country’s winter sports programme has actually surged to new heights in recent times. In November, pilot Shane Pitter and brakemen Andrae Dacres, Junior Harris and Tyquendo Tracey claimed Jamaica’s first-ever North American Cup win in Whistler, and they’ve since topped the podium seven times.

The big guns

Talking of medals and winning, while South Africa is not expected to contend for the podium (after all, the Olympic spirit is as much about showing up and competing), who is tipped to dominate? According to Telecomasia.net, the traditional “Big Three” are once again expected to lead the charge.

Norway remains the clear frontrunner in the overall medal count, Germany is expected to excel once again in the sliding sports, and the US rounds out the trio with strength across multiple disciplines

The fun fields

So what should we be watching beyond our own athletes? Snowboarding definitely tops the list. It’s a real crowd-pleaser, and we’re especially excited about the women’s and men’s halfpipe events. Four-time Olympian Australian Scotty James is still chasing that elusive gold, having already won silver and bronze. He has made no secret of wanting Olympic gold to complete an otherwise stellar career. And US snowboarding star Chloe Kim is going for her third gold in the halfpipe.

Another fan favourite is ice hockey, no doubt boosted recently by the hit Canadian series Heated Rivalry. The sport draws huge crowds to Olympic arenas, and Canada is tipped to win gold – no surprise, given that hockey is practically a national religion. Even Prime Minister Mark Carney was an avid player, while his predecessor Justin Trudeau is a certified snowboard instructor.

For something a little quirkier, curling never fails to raise eyebrows. Two teams take turns sliding heavy granite stones towards a target while teammates sweep the ice to control speed and direction. It is strangely addictive once you get the hang of it.

And finally, a little nostalgia: we cannot help but mourn ski ballet, a discontinued event that combined choreographed spins, jumps and flips on skis with music. Hysterical, dazzling and a spectacle that would have hooked us all. We’ll finish this round-up with a video of that weirdly compelling lost event. It’s a pleasure!

We’ve approached SuperSport and DStv to confirm the broadcast schedule for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and will provide updates once the information is available.

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_{Top image: Malica Malherbe. Picture: David Ramos/Getty Images.}