South Africa will compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 6 to 22 February 2026. If the country participates, it will be its first participation in the Winter Olympics since 2018.
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors participating at the Games per sport/discipline.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine skiing | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Cross-country skiing | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Freestyle skiing | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Skeleton | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Alpine skiing
South Africa qualified one female and one male alpine skier through the basic quota.[2][3]
| Athlete | Event | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Thomas Weir | Men's giant slalom | ||||||
| Men's slalom | |||||||
| Lara Markthaler | Women's giant slalom | ||||||
| Women's slalom | |||||||
Cross-country skiing
South Africa qualified one male cross-country skier through the basic quota.[4] 34-year-old Matt Smith qualified to represent the country in the sport.[5] Smith had only taken up the sport two years ago after moving from South Africa to Norway.[6] This will mark the country's first participation in the sport in 16 years, after last competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[7]
| Athlete | Event | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Deficit | Rank | ||
| Matthew Smith | Men's 10 km freestyle | |||
Freestyle skiing
South Africa qualified a female athlete in moguls and dual moguls through the World Cup and 2025 World Championship event.[8]
Moguls
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run 1 | Run 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Run 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Time | Points | Total | Rank | Time | Points | Total | Rank | Time | Points | Total | Rank | Time | Points | Total | Rank | Time | Points | Total | Rank | ||
| Malica Malherbe | Women's moguls | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dual moguls
| Athlete | Event | Seeding | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Score | Total | Rank | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | ||
| Malica Malherbe | Women's dual moguls | | | | |||||
Skeleton
South Africa qualified a single female skeleton racer, securing one quota spot based on the IBSF Ranking List for the 2025–26 season.[9]
| Athlete | Event | Run 1 | Run 2 | Run 3 | Run 4 | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Nicole Burger | Women's | ||||||||||
References
- Lemke, Gary (4 February 2026). "Smith, Burger to carry flag at opening ceremony". TeamSA. South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- "Alpine Skiing quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- Isaacson, David (16 March 2025). "Rising ski star Lara wants to put South Africa on winter sport map". Sunday Times. Johannesburg, South Africa: Arena Holdings. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- "Cross-Country quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- "South African skier qualifies for 2026 Winter Olympics". www.dailyfriend.co.za/. Johannesburg, South Africa: Daily Friend. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- "How South Africa's 'Snowbok' booked Winter Olympics spot". BBC News. London, England. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- "Matt Smith becomes South Africa's first winter Olympian in years". Africa News. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- "Freestyle Moguls & Dual Moguls quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski Federation (FIS). Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- "Quota Allocation – Women's Bobsleigh". International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF). January 2026. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
