Winter Olympics 2026: Who is competing from England and when are the events?
Just a week to go until the most celebrated snowsports event on the planet: the Winter Olympics. 20 British ski and snowboard athletes have qualified to attend the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, as announced by GB Snowsport last week.
Which British skiers and snowboarders are competing in the Winter Olympics 2026?
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 (Freestyle Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air)
Maisie Hill (Freestyle Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air)
Txema Mazet-Brown (Freestyle 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
Which athletes have links with Snowsport England?
Many of these athletes begun their ski and snowboard careers on English soil. Here are a few examples:
Dave Ryding – slalom
Dave Ryding is a legend amongst British alpine ski racers. Hailing from Bretherton in Lancashire, he started his ski career on the dry slopes of Pendle Ski Club before later joining Kandahar Ski Club. In 2022, he made history by becoming the first Briton to win a World Cup slalom race at Kitzbühel aged 35. This made him the oldest-ever winner of a men’s World Cup slalom race. He’s competed in four Winter Olympics; Milano Cortina 2026 will be his last as he announced his retirement from skiing last year.
Billy Major – slalom
Originally from Saffron Walden near Cambridge, Billy Major started skiing aged two on holidays in France before starting racing aged seven. By the age of 14, he was representing Great Britain. Billy trained with Kandahar Ski Club and competed a number of times at the English Alpine Championships, our flagship event and one of the most important in the English ski calendar.
Laurie Taylor – slalom
Laurie Taylor learnt to ski aged six on family holiday. He began ski racing on the dry slopes of Aldershot where he joined Aldershot Ski Race Club aged nine. A year later, he was invited to join British Ski Academy where he spent ten years in France pushing his alpine race skills. This is Laurie’s second Olympics; he came 26th in slalom and 5th in Team Parallel in the previous event in PyeongChang, Korea.
Mia Brookes – slopestyle and big air, snowboarding
Mia was just 18 months old when she stepped on a snowboard for the first time at Kidsgrove Ski Centre in Stoke-on-Trent. She went on to regularly ride and compete at The Snow Centre, Manchester before competing in events in Europe, supported by her mum and dad. Since then, she’s gone on become to the youngest world champion in the history of snowboarding. Just earlier this month, she scored gold in slopestyle and bronze in big air.
Where can I watch the Winter Olympics 2026?
You can watch the Winter Olympics 2026 on TNT Sports and Discovery+ in the UK. This is a paid-for subscription service. The BBC will be broadcasting at least two live events each day on BBC One and Two, as well as highlights packages on BBC iPlayer.
How can I get involved with the Winter Olympics at home?
Are you interested in learning to ski or snowboard? Or would like to improve your skills? Head to our Club & Facility Finder to locate your nearest snowsports facility. We also run the Futures Project, a series of freestyle workshops across England, aimed at 6 to 21-year-olds. More sessions coming soon – watch this space!
We have also teamed up with Team GB for their Get Set project to create a collection of sport-focused mini activities, aimed at 5-11 year-olds, that can be done anywhere. Our ski activities take just 15 minutes and can be used in schools, clubs or at home to get kids moving. Sign up here for free to access these resources.