South Africa at the 2026 Winter Olympics

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.

Watch it live on youtube.com/watch?v=zbGANkaRvJI&fbclid=IwY2xjawP5IfdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeFEBb8Ox1iNc4PuYTrC9NFfBXXo4MQJ-oj3YzK9NCm2_rK55rR6IOq2VLurc_aem_LSBXe2AVMcZIXm2_mGd8ow

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

TEAM SA SQUAD FOR 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS

Men: Thomas Weir (slalom & giant slalom), Matthew Smith (cross-country)

Women: Lara Markthaler (slalom & giant slalom), Malica Malherbe (freestyle skiing), Nicole Burger (skeleton)

Coaches: Robert Weir (slalom & giant slalom), Christian Markthaler (slalom & giant slalom), Ole Ensrud (cross-country), Rhys Thornbury (skeleton)

Alpine skiing

Main articles: Alpine skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics and Alpine skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification

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

Main articles: Cross-country skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics and Cross-country skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification

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

Main articles: Freestyle skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics and Freestyle skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification

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			Rank
		Time	Points	Total	Rank	Time	Points	Total	Rank	Time	Points	Total	Rank	Time	Points	Total
Malica Malherbe	Women's moguls	30.39	43.58	55.85	25	30.05	46.19	58.86	17	Did not advance

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

Main articles: Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics and Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification

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

1.  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.
2.  "Alpine Skiing quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
3.  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.
4.  "Cross-Country quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
5.  "South African skier qualifies for 2026 Winter Olympics". www.dailyfriend.co.za/. Johannesburg, South Africa: Daily Friend. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
6.  "How South Africa's 'Snowbok' booked Winter Olympics spot". BBC News. London, England. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
7.  "Matt Smith becomes South Africa's first winter Olympian in years". Africa News. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
8.  "Freestyle Moguls & Dual Moguls quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski Federation (FIS). Retrieved 1 February 2026.
9.  "Quota Allocation – Women's Bobsleigh". International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF). January 2026. Retrieved 27 January 2026.