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 |
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 | 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
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.
