Ireland will send four athlete’s to the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina 2026 competing across three sports.
The Winter Olympic Games run from 6 – 22 February, with Irish athletes competing in Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Skiing and Cross Country Skiing.
Team Ireland
Anabelle Zurbay will compete in Alpine Skiing, specifically focusing on the technical events – Slalom and Giant Slalom, the latter being her favoured event.
The Colorado-based athlete is not only the youngest member of the team; she is also the youngest Irish athlete to ever compete in Alpine Skiing at the Olympics, and she turned 17 last December.
Zurbay’s family, via her maternal grandmother, comes from Rosemount, outside Moate. Anabelle, also known as Annie, will be competing in the Cortina cluster.
Ben Lynch will compete in the Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe event.
The Dublin-born skier moved to Vancouver with his family when he was three, where he discovered skiing.
Despite his family mostly being successful rowers, Ben enjoyed the freedom of skiing, and specifically the expressive element of freestyle disciplines. He is a first-time Olympian and will be based in Livigno for the duration of the Games.
Cormac Comerford will compete in Alpine Skiing, with the Slalom being his favourite discipline. The Dublin skier first learnt his love for skiing at the Kilternan dry slopes, and is also competing in his first Olympic Games.
Working as a Mechanical Engineer in the off-season, Cormac spends most of the winter travelling Europe, training and competing. He will be competing in the Bormio cluster.
Thomas Maloney Westgård set for third Olympics
Thomas Maloney Westgård is the veteran of the team, and is set to compete in his third Olympic Games, when he will become only the second man to ever compete in three winter games.
He competes in the Cross Country events, with the 50km race his favourite discipline.
Thomas was born in a small island called Leka in Norway to a Galway mother and Norwegian father, and following a hugely successful few seasons, he competes for professional team Team Aker Dæhlie. Thomas will be competing in Predazzo, in the Val di Fiemme cluster.
“This team reflects the progress of Irish winter sport and the exceptional standards required to compete at Olympic level” said, Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Milano Cortina 2026, Nancy Chillingworth.
We are excited to see three new names on the Irish team, and are looking forward to welcoming Thomas back.
While the spread out nature of the Games presents some challenges, we are confident that the culture and support will be as present as ever for this team, and we wish them the best of luck in the Games.”
Team Ireland Schedule:
6 Feb - Opening Ceremony – Milano (Irish in the Livigno, Cortina and Predazzo clusters)
7 Feb - Cormac Comerford – Downhill (Alpine Skiing), Bormio
8 Feb - Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10km + 10km Skiathlon (Cross Country), Predazzo
11 Feb - Cormac Comerford – Super-G (Alpine Skiing), Bormio
13 Feb - Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10km Free (Cross Country), Predazzo
14 Feb - Cormac Comerford – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Bormio
15 Feb - Anabelle Zurbay – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Cortina
16 Feb - Cormac Comerford – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Bormio
18 Feb - Anabelle Zurbay – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Cortina
19 Feb - Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Qualification (Freestyle Skiing), Livigno
20 Feb - Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Final (Freestyle Skiing), Livigno
21 Feb - Thomas Maloney Westgård – 50km Classic (Cross Country), Predazzo
22 Feb - Closing Ceremony – Verona (All athletes)
