Paris 2024 marked a significant moment for gender equity in the Olympic movement. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, an equal number of quota spots were available for men and women, making them the first Games to achieve gender parity.

As we celebrate progress in gender equity, it is important to acknowledge the tireless work that it has taken to get to this point, and some significant pushback that women’s sport has encountered along the way. 

And the work is far from over. Women remain underrepresented in many other areas of the Games, including but not limited to, coaches, officials, and media. The Olympic Winter Games have yet to achieve gender parity for athletes, though Milano Cortina 2026 is set to be the most gender-balanced Games yet with 47 per cent of quota spots allocated to women.

In the spirit of remembering the efforts of the past as we continue to push towards the future, below is a list acknowledging the Olympic sports for which there was a gender gap in the inclusion of women’s competition versus men’s. 

Paris 1900: Only men competed at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Four years later, at Paris 1900, 22 women competed, compared to 975 men. There were women’s events in tennis and golf, and women competed alongside men in croquet and sailing.

St. Louis 1904: Women’s archery debuts at the Games. Men’s archery had debuted four years earlier, at Paris 1900.

Stockholm 1912: Women’s swimming makes its Olympic debut, although women are only allowed to compete in two events, versus the seven available for men, who had been competing in Olympic swimming since 1896, marking a 16 year gender gap. Swimming was the first “major” Olympic sport to include women. Stockholm 1912 also marked the debut of women’s diving, which had been open to men for eight years, since St. Louis 1904.

Paris 1924: Women’s fencing debuts at the Olympic Games, 28 years after men’s fencing. At this time, women only had one event available to them, while men had six. 

Amsterdam 1928: Women’s athletics and artistic gymnastics make their Olympic debuts. Men’s competition for both sports had existed since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, marking a gender gap of 32 years. 

There were only five women’s athletics events available for women, compared to the 22 available for men. There was only one women’s artistic gymnastics team event, while men had a team event as well as six individual events.

One of the women’s athletics events at Amsterdam 1928 was the 800m. In direct contradiction to what transpired on the track, media reported afterwards that several women collapsed and others could not finish the 800m race. This account gained traction despite photographic and video evidence showing that all nine women completed the race and that a couple of them laid down on the track after a world-record effort (as was common for male athletes to do). The IOC and IAAF proceeded to bar women from competing in races longer than 200m for over 30 years under the patronising guise of “protecting” women from themselves. 

London 1948: Women’s kayaking debuts at the Olympic Games. Only one event is available to women, while men had the opportunity to compete in two kayak events as well as two canoe events (which women would wait seven more decades to compete in, more on that below). Men’s paddling had been part of the Olympic program since 1936, marking a gender gap of 12 years.

Oslo 1952: Women’s cross-country skiing debuts at the Olympic Games. Men had competed in cross-country skiing since the inaugural Olympic Winter Games in 1924, marking a gender gap of 28 years.

Helsinki 1952: Women are allowed to compete in Olympic equestrian events for the first time, 52 years after men began competing in equestrian at Paris 1900. At these Games, women were limited to competing only in dressage. Four years later, they would be allowed to compete in jumping and then finally eventing at Tokyo 1964.

Squaw Valley 1960: Women’s speed skating makes its official Olympic debut, 36 years after men’s speed skating was on the program of the first Olympic Winter Games. 

Mexico City 1968: Women compete in Olympic shooting for the first time, while men had been competing in it since the first modern Olympic Games 72 years earlier.  Starting at Mexico City 1968, women competed directly against men. Separate women’s shooting events were not included until 1984.

Montreal 1976: Women’s rowing debuts at the Olympic Games 76 years after men’s rowing was first included. Women’s basketball debuts 40 years after men’s basketball.

Moscow 1980: Women’s field hockey makes its Olympic debut, marking a gender gap of 72 years after men’s field hockey was part of the program.

Los Angeles 1984: LA 1984 features the first Olympic women’s marathon. The men’s marathon had been contested since the beginning of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, marking a gender gap of 88 years. Women’s road cycling also made its Olympic debut 88 years after the men’s competition.

The 1984 Olympic Games were also when the first two women-only sports were included on the Olympic programme—rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized (now artistic) swimming.

Seoul 1988: Women’s track cycling debuts at the Olympic Games. Only one event was available to women versus the five available for men. Track cycling for men was included in 1896, marking a 92-year gender gap. Seoul 1988 also marks the debut of separate sailing events for women.

Albertville 1992: Women’s biathlon makes its Olympic debut 32 years after the inclusion of men’s biathlon.

Barcelona 1992: Women’s judo debuts at the Olympic Games 28 years after men’s competition.

Atlanta 1996: Women’s soccer makes its Olympic debut 96 years after men’s soccer.

Nagano 1998: Women’s hockey debuts 78 years after men’s hockey became an Olympic sport during the summer Games at Antwerp 1920. Women’s curling debuts as the sport returns to the Olympic programme for the first time since 1924 (where there had only been a men’s event). 

Sydney 2000: Women’s weightlifting makes its debut at the Olympic Games, 104 years after men’s weightlifting, which was one of the original sports of the modern Olympic Games. Women’s water polo made its Olympic debut a century after the men’s competition. Women’s modern pentathlon made its Olympic debut 88 years after the men’s sport.

Salt Lake City 2002: Women’s bobsleigh is contested at the Olympic Games for the first time, 78 years after men competed in the sport at the first Olympic Winter Games.

Athens 2004: Women’s wrestling makes its Olympic debut. Men’s wrestling was one of the sports included in the first edition of the modern Olympic Games, making for a gender gap of 108 years.

London 2012: Women’s boxing makes its Olympic debut. Men first competed in Olympic boxing in 1904, making for a 108-year gender gap. Boxing was the last summer Olympic sport that was for men only, so London 2012 marked the first Games where women competed in every sport on the summer Olympic programme.

Sochi 2014: Women’s ski jumping makes its Olympic debut, 90 years after the men’s edition of the sport.

Tokyo 2020: Women’s canoe events debut at the Olympic Games, 84 years after men were given the opportunity to compete in canoe events. 

READ: Historic Olympic achievements by Team Canada women

The Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 Olympic Winter Games marked the first time that Italy had ever played the role of Olympic host, four years before the summer Games of Rome 1960 and half a century before Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen was the star of the show with her five medals at Turin 2006.

As we look forward to watching Team Canada athletes fulfill their Olympic dreams at Milano Cortina 2026, let’s take a quick look back to 70 years ago and how much has changed on the Winter Olympic scene.

Bigger and More Balanced

In 1956, the small resort town of Cortina (home to around 6000 people) could host the Olympic Winter Games all on its own. Not so in 2026. The Games have grown so much that events will be spread across several clusters in northern Italy, including Milan, which is about a 400-kilometre drive west of Cortina.

A quick look at these numbers gives a glimpse at how big the Winter Olympics have gotten.

Milano Cortina 2026 will be the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games to date, with 54 men’s events and 50 women’s events as well as 12 mixed events. It is expected that 47 per cent of participating athletes will be women. Comparatively, women comprised just 16.3 per cent of competitors at Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956.

The eight sports on the 1956 program were alpine skiing, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and long track speed skating. In 2026, the program will also include biathlon, curling, freestyle skiing, luge, short track speed skating, skeleton, snowboard, and ski mountaineering, with the latter making its Olympic debut.  

READ: Ski Mountaineering 101: What you need to know about the new winter Olympic sport

In 1956, only alpine skiing, figure skating, and cross-country skiing included women’s events. In 2026, the only sport in which women will not compete is Nordic combined.

Team Canada’s Increased Impact

With the growth of the Olympic program, Canada has grown into a powerhouse country at the Winter Games—both in the number of athletes who can call themselves Olympians and the number of medals that go on Team Canada’s tally.  

At each of the last four Olympic Winter Games, Team Canada has included more than 200 athletes—more than five times the number who wore the maple leaf at Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956.

Since Turin 2006, Team Canada has won at least 24 medals at each Olympic Winter Games. It was a much different story in 1956 when Canadian athletes won just three winter Olympic medals, but all were notable for their own reasons.

Figure skaters Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden led the way with their silver in the pairs event. They were pioneers of elements we now expect pairs to perform, such as twist lifts, overhead lasso lifts, and throw jumps. While European critics claimed that overhead lifts were not mentioned in the rulebook and were therefore illegal, Dafoe and Bowden received first place marks from four of the nine judges. Their skills led to the rules for the sport being revised in 1959. Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 marked the last time that an Olympic figure skating competition was held outdoors.

Lucile Wheeler became Canada’s first ever Olympic medallist in alpine skiing when she won bronze in the women’s downhill. That also made her the first North American to win an Olympic downhill medal.

Both of those events featured Canadians who would go on to win Olympic gold four years later. Just 17 in her Olympic debut, Anne Heggtveit built on her experience to win the women’s slalom at Squaw Valley 1960. Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul followed up their sixth-place finish in Cortina with four straight world pairs titles as well as the next Olympic title.

Canada, represented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchman, won bronze in hockey. A recognizable last name from that roster is Brodeur. Goaltender Denis Brodeur went on to father goaltending great Martin Brodeur, who won gold at Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010.

Fun Facts and International Intrigue

Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 made history as the first Olympic Winter Games to be televised live, with broadcasts reaching multiple European countries.

They were just the second Olympic Winter Games to be preceded by a torch relay. The flame was lit at the Capitoline, one of Rome’s seven hills, and sent on a five-day journey to Cortina via Venice. The torch relay for Milano Cortina 2026 will last 63 days after the flame is lit at Olympia in Greece in November 2025.

The star athlete of Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 was Austrian Toni Sailer, who won all three men’s alpine skiing events by large margins. Austria won nine of the 18 medals awarded in alpine skiing, accounting for all but two of the country’s podium finishes.

There was a major innovation in ski jumping as Finnish athletes introduced a new aerodynamic style. They placed their arms against their sides during their flight, rather than reaching forward in front of their heads. It helped two of them—Antti Hyvärinen and Aulis Kallakorpi—win gold and silver.

READ: Everything you need to know about Milano Cortina 2026

Venues Re-Visited

There are only three venues in Cortina that will be used during the 2026 Winter Olympics, but two of those will be hosting Olympic events for the second time.

What will be the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium was known in 1956 as the Cortina Ice Stadium. It was the site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the figure skating and hockey competitions. 

The Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, which will host women’s alpine events in 2026, was the primary alpine skiing venue for both women and men in 1956.

In 2026, the sliding sports of bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge are also planned to take place in Cortina. The Cortina Sliding Centre is currently under construction at the location that previously housed the Pista olimpica Eugenio Monti. Considered by many to be the greatest bobsleigh pilot ever, Monti won two silver medals during Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956, racing on the track that would be named for him after he won four more Olympic medals, including a pair of gold in 1968.

Back on North American snow, the moguls GOAT got himself a couple wins closer to a major career milestone while the Canadian aerials team put on a grand show in front of the home fans in Lac-Beauport, Quebec. There were several impressive performances at the X Games and a big breakthrough moment for a rising star in cross-country skiing.

Here’s a quick look at what you might have missed:

Alpine Skiing: Crawford wins world’s most famous downhill in Canadian double podium

Jack Crawford broke a 42-year drought in becoming the first Canadian skier since 1983 to win a World Cup downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

READ : Crawford earns first career World Cup gold at prestigious Kitzbuehel race

Looking smooth as silk, Crawford raced to victory on the famed Hahnenkamm mountain, home to downhill’s skiing most treacherous course, in a time of 1:53.64. The 20th man down the course, he finished 0.08 of Swiss skier Alexis Monney. In taking the lead, Crawford pushed teammate Cameron Alexander, who had finished in 1:53.86, down to third place.

It was first time two Canadians had shared a podium in any alpine skiing World Cup since February 2012 when Jan Hudec won and Erik Guay finished third in Chamonix, France. No Canadian had reached the podium in Kitzbuehel since Guay finished second in 2013.

The win was Crawford’s first ever on the FIS World Cup circuit. The 27-year-old from Toronto had been missing that accolade after winning a world title in super-G and an Olympic bronze medal in alpine combined. It is his fifth career World Cup podium, but first since March 2023. Alexander also has five career World Cup podiums. This is his second of the season after finishing third in the downhill at Bormio, Italy, which will be the Olympic course next February.

Both Canadian men had shown their comfort in Kitzbuehel when in Friday’s super-G, Alexander finished fifth with Crawford not far behind in eighth.

Moguls: Kingsbury gets closer to major career milestone

Mikaël Kingsbury earned two victories in Waterville, New Hampshire over the weekend, bringing his career World Cup win total to 94.

It all started on Friday, when he scored 84.95 points in the second final round to defeat American home favourite Nick Page, who scored 83.55. French veteran Benjamin Cavet rounded out the podium, finishing third with 74.55 points.

READ : Mikaël Kingsbury kicks off 2025 with a moguls win in Waterville

Kingsbury did it again on Saturday, finishing first in the dual moguls event. Kingsbury beat Australia’s Matt Graham in the big final Saturday for his fourth victory of the season. The 32-year-old is just six wins shy of 100 for his career, a feat only achieved by three other athletes in the history of all FIS disciplines.

Maïa Schwinghammer finished just off the podium twice in Waterville. In women’s moguls on Friday, she finished fourth, about half a point back of third place. She made it to the small final of dual moguls, but lost out to Kazakhstan’s Yuliya Galysheva. She has now finished fourth in four of six World Cup events this season.

Aerials: Irving and Nadeau thrill hometown fans in Lac-Beauport

With the home crowd behind them in Lac-Beauport, Quebec, two Canadians delivered World Cup podium performances. On Saturday, Lewis Irving earned his first World Cup podium since December 2022 when he finished second. It was his best World Cup result since he last finished second in February 2020.

READ: Irving flies to podium at hometown World Cup

Irving, who grew up just 30 minutes from the hill, scored 102.50 points to finish behind only China’s Qi Guangpu. It was the highlight of a fantastic day on the hill for Canada, as four Canadians finished in the top 10 of the men’s event. Alexandre Duchaine (5th), Émile Nadeau (7th) and Pierre-Olivier Côté (9th) all competed in the final on Saturday.

On Sunday, Nadeau scored 95.98 to take third place for his third career World Cup podium. He also finished third in Lac-Beauport last season. Two other Canadians, Miha Fontaine (10th) and Duchaine (11th), made it to the final.

READ: Émile Nadeau on the podium at Lac-Beauport

X Games: Four major medals for Canadians

In her first appearance at the X Games since 2021, Cassie Sharpe won the women’s ski superpipe final in Aspen, Colorado. It is her first victory since returning to competition in the fall after a two-year break to become a mother.

Sharpe scored 88.33 points on the first of her two runs in the final, which stood up for the victory. She shared the podium with fellow Canadian Amy Fraser who finished third with 84.66 points. China’s Li Fangui squeezed in between for the silver with 86.66 points. This is Sharpe’s third career win at the X Games and her sixth podium there overall.

Mark McMorris earned his 24th career podium at the X Games, taking silver in men’s snowboard slopestyle. He scored 90.33 points for his second run in the final, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the 92.66 by American Red Gerrard. He was joined in the five-man final by Liam Brearley.

Olivia Asselin won silver in women’s ski slopestyle while teammate Megan Oldham finished fourth in the final. Laurie Blouin placed fourth in the women’s snowboard slopestyle final.

Long Track Speed Skating: Canada closes with gold on home ice

Calgary hosted the third stop of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating. After no Canadians reached the podium on the first two days of competition, the trio of Carolina Hiller, Béatrice Lamarche and Ivanie Blondin secured a gold medal in the women’s team sprint.

Canada finished with a time of 1:24.90, finishing ahead of Poland and Kazakhstan. Hillier and Blondin are reigning world champions of the event alongside Maddison Pearman.

On Friday, Isabelle Weidemann finished fifth in the 5000m—4.64 seconds off of the third-place time—while Connor Howe placed eighth in the men’s 1500m and Lamarche earned a career-best with her eighth-place finish in the women’s 1000m.

On Saturday, Graeme Fish posted a fifth-place finish in the men’s 10,000m, ended up 2.06 seconds back of the podium in a race in which the winner, Davide Ghiotto of Italy, broke the world record.

Recently recovered from injury and a virus, Laurent Dubreuil did well in the men’s 500m, finishing fifth with a time of 34.14 seconds, 0.07 back of third place. Ivanie Blondin finished fourth in the women’s mass start.

Ski Jumping: Loutitt just misses another podium in Japan

A week after earning her second career World Cup win, Alexandria Loutitt came just 4.7 points shy of the podium in Sunday’s normal hill event in Zao, Japan. Loutitt finished fourth after scoring 226.6 points for her two jumps of 94m and 94.5m. She posted the third-best score in the second round of jumping. That followed her eighth-place finish in Friday’s first normal hill event of the weekend.

In between, Loutitt and Abigail Strate finished fifth in the women’s super team event on Saturday.

Cross-Country Skiing: World Cup breakthrough for U23 world champion

Sonjaa Schmidt, the reigning U23 world champion in the women’s sprint, came close to her first career World Cup podium on Saturday. She finished fourth in the sprint free event in Engadin, Switzerland. It is the first individual top-10 result of the 22-year-old’s short World Cup career. She debuted on the elite circuit just one year ago.

After being 10th-fastest in qualifying, Schmidt won her quarterfinal heat to advance to the semifinals. A fourth-place finish in the faster of the two heats sent her off to the six-person final. She pushed hard to challenge for the podium, ending up just 0.79 back of third place.

Snowboard: Gaudet cracks World Cup top 10 in PGS

Arnaud Gaudet finished 10th in the men’s parallel giant slalom World Cup that took place in Rogla, Slovenia. It is the best PGS result of the season for the 24-year-old athlete from Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec. Gaudet was fifth-fastest in qualification, which advanced him into the elimination finals. But he was knocked out in the 1/8 finals by Austrian Benjamin Karl, the reigning Olympic champion.

Biathlon: Another top 10 for Canadian women’s relay

The Canadian team of Pascale Paradis, Emma Lunder, Benita Peiffer and Nadia Moser finished 10th in the women’s 4x6km relay at the IBU Biathlon World Cup in Antholz-Anterselva in Italy—the venue that will host Olympic competition next February. They clocked a time of 1:11:11.7 to follow up last week’s ninth-place finish in the same event.

In Sapporo, ski jumper Alexandria Loutitt soared back to the top after a two-year drought, while in Switzerland, 19-year-old snowboarder Cameron Spalding continued his climb to greatness. On the ice, the Canadian National Skating Championships in Laval saw a lot of familiar faces claim titles.

So, what went down? Let’s dive into all the highlights:

Snowboard & Ski Slopestyle: Spalding and Oldham shine at Laax Open

Cameron Spalding continues to amaze. The 19-year-old grabbed his second win of the FIS World Cup season, taking the top spot in men’s snowboard slopestyle in Laax, Switzerland. Spalding’s second run of the final earned him a score of 86.63, as he took first place from American Red Gerard, the 2018 Olympic champion, by 0.41 points.

Spalding was nearly joined on the podium by fellow Canadian Liam Brearley who finished fourth. His score of 83.44 for his first run left him just 0.28 back of Germany’s Noah Vicktor who placed third. Eli Bouchard, who had ranked third in qualification, ended up 12th in the final.

In women’s snowboard slopestyle, Laurie Blouin was the only Canadian in the final and finished sixth.

On Friday, Megan Oldham had finished second in women’s ski slopestyle at the Laax Open. Her score of 72.80 put her just ahead of Swiss home favourite Mathilde Gremaud by 0.21 points. Olivia Asselin also made it through to the final, finishing seventh. It is Oldham’s first World Cup podium since March 2023.

The top Canadian in men’s ski slopestyle was Evan McEachran, who finished fourth, just 0.22 back of a podium position. Max Moffatt finished eighth while Noah Porter MacLennan was 13th.

Ski Jumping: Loutitt flies to first place in Sapporo

Alexandria Loutitt earned her first FIS World Cup victory in two years with a strong performance during the first large hill event of the weekend in Sapporo, Japan.

READ: Alexandria Loutitt tops ski jumping podium in Japan

On Saturday, she posted the top score in both rounds of jumping in the final. Her second jump earned the highest score of the day, 137.2 points, after she covered a distance of 131 metres. Her total score of 266.4 gave her a margin of victory of 12.7 points. Loutitt’s last World Cup podium had been back in March 2024. Her only previous World Cup win had been in January 2023 in Zao, Japan. Loutitt placed 12th in the second large hill event on Sunday.

Aerials: Thénault soars to podium at World Cup opener

It’s been a long wait for the first FIS World Cup aerials stop of the 2024-25 season, but Marion Thénault picked up just where she left off. The 24-year-old finished third in the women’s event, scoring 90.94 points in the six-woman super final. She had closed out the 2023-24 season with a World Cup victory last March. Thénault was joined in the first round of the final by Alexandra Montminy. The 18-year-old finished 11th overall for her career best World Cup result.

Alexandre Duchaine was the only Canadian to advance to the men’s final. He finished eighth overall. The following day, Montminy and Duchaine reached the podium in the mixed team event, finishing second with Miha Fontaine as the third member of their team. The trio of Lewis Irving, Émile Nadeau, and Charlie Fontaine placed fourth.

Figure Skating: National champions crowned

It was an exciting week of friendly competition at the 2025 Canadian National Skating Championships in Laval, Québec.

READ: Canadian National Skating Championships: Gilles and Poirier, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps defend national titles

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier clinched their fourth ice dance title with a total score of 229.55 after finishing first in both the rhythm dance and free dance. Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha secured silver (218.52), while Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer took bronze (195.88).

For a third consecutive year, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are the pairs national champions. They had missed a lot of training time in December while Deschamps recovered from illness, but showed their world champion mettle to score 207.06. Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud earned silver (204.96) with the best free skate of the day. Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier rounded out the podium with bronze (187.29).

Madeline Schizas took back the women’s title, securing her third gold medal at the nationals. She unveiled a new free program she plans to take forward into the Olympic year and scored 203.87 overall, a Canadian best ever.

Roman Sadovsky returned to the top step of the podium, adding the 2025 men’s title to the one he claimed in 2020.

The final day of competition could not have gotten off to a better start, as spectators witnessed the induction of Olympic bronze medallist Joannie Rochette and her coach Manon Perron into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. Their success and resilience will never be forgotten, nor will the immense impact they have had on Canadian figure skating.

Alpine Skiing: Top 5s for Crawford and Alexander in Wengen

The men’s FIS Alpine World Cup circuit competed at one of the world’s most famed courses in Wengen, Switzerland. Jack Crawford finished fourth in the super-G on Friday, missing the podium by just four one-hundredths (0.04) of a second. Cameron Alexander finished eighth in that race.

The next day, Alexander was fifth in the downhill, 0.14 back of a podium position. Crawford ended up ninth in that race.

Bobsleigh: Pat Norton drives to career best in top six

Pat Norton piloted his four-man sled to a sixth-place finish at the IBSF World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria. He and his crew of Mike Evelyn O’Higgins, Keaton Bruggeling, and Shaq Murray-Lawrence ended up half a second back of third place. Norton had never before broken into the top 10 of a World Cup race. His previous career best was 11th in a four-man World Cup in Lake Placid in December 2022.

On the women’s side, Cynthia Appiah finished 10th in the monobob. The top performance in two-woman came from Bianca Ribi and Niamh Haughey who finished 15th.

Biathlon: Canadian women finish top 10 in Ruhpolding

Canada secured a top-10 finish in the women’s 4×6 km relay at the IBU World Cup in Ruhpolding, Germany. The team of Pascale Paradis, Emma Lunder, Shilo Rousseau and Nadia Moser finished ninth overall. That followed a 14th-place finish for Lunder in the women’s 14km individual, her best solo result of the season.

A lot of information has been published on Olympic.ca about the upcoming Games—but in this article, we’ve gathered all of those links in one place. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Milano Cortina 2026 to help keep you informed as Team Canada athletes continue their journey towards the Games that will officially open on February 6, 2026 and run for 16 days.

Where will the Games take place?

Italy will host the XXV Olympic Winter Games, primarily in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. This is the fourth time that Italy will host the Olympic Games, having previously hosted Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 (winter), Rome 1960 (summer), and Turin 2006 (winter).

Events will take place across several regions of northern Italy. You can check out our venue guides to see where Team Canada will be competing:

Milano Cortina 2026 Venue Guide: Veneta

Milano Cortina 2026 Venue Guide: Trentino-Alto Adige

Milano Cortina 2026 Venue Guide: Lombardia

What sports will be contested at Milano Cortina 2026?

There are 16 sport disciplines that will be contested at Milano Cortina 2026:

• Alpine Skiing
• Biathlon
• Bobsleigh
• Cross-Country Skiing
• Curling
• Figure Skating
• Freestyle Skiing
• Ice Hockey
• Long Track Speed Skating
• Luge
• Nordic Combined
• Short Track Speed Skating
• Skeleton
• Ski Jumping
• Ski Mountaineering
• Snowboarding 

Within these sport disciplines, there will be 116 events (details for each sport are in the links above). Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut as the newest addition to the Olympic programme.

READ: Ski Mountaineering 101: What you need to know about the new winter Olympic sport

How can Team Canada athletes qualify for Milano Cortina 2026?

Qualification pathways for each sport can look a little different, and can be a bit confusing. We’ve done our best to break down these pathways, including when qualification events are taking place and how many quota spots are available: Team Canada Qualification Pathways.

Who is qualified for Team Canada for Milano Cortina 2026?

Approximately 2900 athletes will compete at the upcoming Games—but how many of them will rep the maple leaf? If you’re not as interested in the how, and just want to get to the who, make sure to keep tabs on this page: Team Canada Qualification Tracker for Milano Cortina 2026.

The tracker will be updated as more and more sports qualify quota spots for the Games. Athlete names will be added once they earn the nominations for those quota spots. Spoiler alert, as of right now, the only quotas that are locked in are for men’s and women’s hockey.

What is the plan for the 2026 Olympic torch relay?

The Olympic flame will begin its journey from Olympia, Greece on November 26, 2025 and arrive at San Siro Stadium on February 6, 2026 for the Opening Ceremony of Milano Cortina 2026. In between, the flame will travel throughout Italy, traversing 12,000 kilometres and crossing all 110 provinces, while passing between the hands of more than 10,000 torch bearers. Read up on some of the highlights from the plan for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic torch relay. 

If you want to learn more about the history and tradition of the Olympic torch relay, check out our FAQ on the Olympic flame and Olympic torch relay.

What is the look and feel of Milano Cortina 2026?

The look and feel of Milano Cortina 2026 is all about vibes. These vibes are touchstone ideas that represent both Italian culture and the spirit of the Olympic Games, and include concepts like energy, passion, creativity, and style. The colours and designs will be featured across all Olympic venues, providing a visual connection. 

Who are the mascots for Milano Cortina 2026? 

Upping the cuteness factor at the Games will be the Milano Cortina 2026 mascots, Tina (Olympic mascot) and Milo (Paralympic mascot). The pair are a brother and sister duo of Italian stoats (we didn’t know what a stoat was until now either—think ferret!). They are joined by their six small flower friends, known as “the Flo.”

To get up to speed on all of the adorableness that is Tina and Milo, check out their backstory here: Meet Tina and Milo, the mascots for Milano Cortina 2026.

How do I buy tickets for Milano Cortina 2026?

Want to see Team Canada in person? While registration has closed for the draw that will determine ticket purchasing times in the first phase of sales, fear not. Open ticket sales will take place in April 2025. We’ve amalgamated everything that you need to know about ticket sales, including information about hospitality packages, here: How to buy tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

For cross-country skiing and biathlon, the biggest batch of quota spots for Milano Cortina 2026 will be determined based on results and rankings at the end of the 2024-25 season, with some quotas remaining to be allocated in January 2026. Ski jumping quota spots will be allocated  in January 2026, based on results and rankings from both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.

The 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway in February, featuring ski jumping and cross-country skiing, and the 2025 IBU Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland will be the big dances of the season as athletes look to rehearse their builds for the next Olympic Winter Games. 

Here’s a quick overview of who and what to keep on your radar this season. 

Ski Jumping

World Championships

• FIS Nordic World Ski Championships – Trondheim, Norway – February 27-March 8, 2025  

Who to Watch

Team Canada fans can anticipate Canadian ski jumpers to keep flying high this season with a talented young crew headlined by Olympians Alexandria Loutitt and Abigail Strate. 

Loutitt and Strate were both part of Canada’s first ever Olympic medal in ski jumping–a bronze in the mixed team event at Beijing 2022. Since then, they’ve proven to be strong individual competitors as well. 

Loutitt was the large hill world champion in 2023 and heads into the season with eight individual FIS World Cup podiums to her name. After finishing third overall in the World Cup standings in 2023-24, she is particularly hopeful for the coming season, given that it’s one of the first she’s entered without rehabbing any injuries. This has meant she’s been able to try new things in training, including some reps in a wind tunnel.

“It’s a training tool to fine-tune flying, and fine-tune the last and most important part of the flight–and that’s the part that, historically, I’ve struggled with the most,” Loutitt says. “I’ve seen a crazy difference post-wind tunnel.”

Flight has also been a training focus for Strate over the last few months, along with landings.

“Our whole team [has been] working on landings, because I think we’ve lost 10 podiums over the last two years, just due to landing points…So we’ve all been in a boot camp there,” says Strate.

Strate had a breakthrough season in 2023-24, notching three straight World Cup podiums as the calendar flipped from December to January. She enters the 2024-25 season with four FIS World Cup podiums to her name.

They did not spend the entire summer in training, however, as they competed in several Grand Prix events held off-snow from August to early October. They were joined in those early season events by Nicole Maurer, who has also competed full time on the World Cup circuit over the last few seasons. Natalie Eilers has recently rounded out the Canadian quartet, but she missed the back half of last season after a crash landing led to her undergoing major knee surgery, from which she is still recovering. 

Cross-Country Skiing

World Championships

• FIS Nordic World Ski Championships – Trondheim, Norway – February 26-March 8, 2025 

Who to Watch

The national team may be filled with 20-somethings, but these young Canadians have been steadily developing into international podium contenders over the last couple of years. 

Antoine Cyr will certainly be one to watch this season. The 26-year from Gatineau, Quebec raced to 10th place in the overall FIS Cross-Country World Cup standings in 2023-24, in part due to his versatility across distances and the two techniques of classic and free, also known as skate skiing. The highlight was a fourth-place finish in a classic sprint event in Drammen, Norway in March, as he came within half a second of what could have been his first career World Cup podium. 

At Beijing 2022, Cyr finished fifth in the men’s team sprint alongside teammate Graham Ritchie. It was Canada’s best ever Olympic result in the event in classic technique. But given last season’s results, Cyr thinks there can be more in store for Milano Cortina 2026.

“In 2025 we have the world championships in Trondheim–that’s a big, big goal for me. They’re around the same date as the Olympics as well. So for the training program, we can do a practice run,” says Cyr.

Ritchie was forced to end last season early due to an ankle fracture. He will look to be back in the mix this winter, but that return won’t be until after the first few World Cup stops.

At the last world championships in 2023, Cyr and Ritchie were part of a fifth-place finish in the 4x10km relay alongside two even younger teammates, Olivier Léveillé (now 23) and Xavier McKeever (now 21). McKeever in particular is a highly touted prospect thanks to his success at the junior level and his family pedigree. Both of his parents were Olympic cross-country skiers and his uncle Brian McKeever is Canada’s most decorated Winter Paralympian. 

Speaking of young success stories, last season Sonjaa Schmidt became Canada’s first ever female U23 world champion, winning sprint gold. This season will be a learning experience for sure for the 21-year-old who only made her World Cup debut in January 2024.  

Biathlon

World Championships

• IBU World Championships, Lenzerheide, Switzerland, February 12-23

Who to Watch

Two-time Olympian Emma Lunder is the veteran to watch on the Canadian biathlon team. The 33-year-old had a breakthrough season in 2022-23, earning three career best results – including one fourth-place and two-fifth-place finishes in IBU World Cup events – and finishing seventh in the mass start at the 2023 IBU World Championships. Lunder finished 51st in the IBU overall standings in 2023-24.

“The national team has done great work throughout the summer months of training, and I’m excited to see what we can do as a team this year,” Lunder said. “As the oldest on the team, I pay attention to what the others are doing, and I’ve noticed some significant improvements, especially on the women’s team. I’m anticipating some big things from us!”

Joining her on the women’s national team are Nadia Moser, Benita Peiffer, and Pascale Paradis. While Moser and Peiffer have both spent a couple of seasons on the World Cup circuit – and earned career-best results in 2023-24 – the 22-year-old Paradis is still waiting to make her World Cup debut. Peiffer will start the season on the IBU Cup circuit with Shilo Rousseau joining Lunder, Moser, and Paradis in the first few World Cups.

Adam Runnalls and Logan Pletz make up the men’s national team. The 26-year-old Runnalls was a part of the Beijing 2022 men’s 4 x 7.5km relay that finished sixth–Canada’s best ever Olympic result in the event. He posted several career-best results in the last two seasons, breaking into the top-20 four times. They’ll be joined at the first few World Cup stops by Haldan Borglum and Daniel Gilfillan.

Canada’s top short trackers will be on the ice at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in the Netherlands, while Team Homan will have the home crowd behind them at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Also hoping for some hometown success are the Canadian biathletes who are welcoming the world to the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. Meanwhile, Eliot Grondin aims to keep his season-long podium streak going in snowboard cross.

There is also action on the water as Canada’s best slalom paddlers compete for Olympic spots at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier.

Here’s what you don’t want to miss:

Short Track Speed Skating

After much success on the World Cup circuit, 10 Canadians will conclude their season at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Four athletes who were medallists in individual events at last year’s world championships will be back in action: Steven Dubois, Pascal Dion, Courtney Sarault and Kim Boutin.

The Canadians enter this final competition of the 2023-24 season after a string of solid international results since October. Dubois finished second in the men’s overall World Cup classification, just ahead of teammate William Dandjinou, who placed third overall despite missing the final World Cup with a concussion.

Jordan Pierre-Gilles, Dubois and Félix Roussel also made their mark on the World Cup circuit, finishing first, second and third overall in the 500m, respectively. Dubois also took second place in the 1000m rankings, while Dandjinou finished first in the 1500m rankings.

READ: Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Renee Steenge have big goals as they skate into Canada’s short track spotlight

In the women’s events, Boutin, Danaé Blais, and Rikki Doak all won individual World Cup medals this season. Joining Sarault in rounding out the team is Renée Steenge.

The finals of the women’s and men’s 1500m and 500m events will take place on Saturday, while the finals of the 1000m, mixed relay, women’s 3000m relay and men’s 5000m relay will be held on Sunday.

Curling

All eyes of the curling world will be on Sydney, Nova Scotia where the World Women’s Curling Championship kicks off this weekend. This is the 45th edition of the event, but the first time it will be hosted in Nova Scotia.

There should be stiff competition between the 13 teams, who qualified through either the Pan Continental Curling Championships (which took place in Kelowna, B.C. in November) or the European Curling Championships. There aren’t just medals on the line. The results from this year’s world championships (women/men/mixed doubles) will be combined with those of the 2025 World Championships to determine the bulk of Olympic curling qualification for Milano Cortina 2026.

Team Canada is represented by Team Homan, consisting of skip Rachel Homan, vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes and alternate Rachel Brown. Olympians Homan and Miskew are no strangers to the top of the world championship podium, having won the title as teammates in 2017.

Snowboard Cross

The penultimate FIS World Cup stop for snowboard cross takes place in Montafon, Austria, this weekend.

Eliot Grondin is well on his way to winning his first career Crystal Globe with just four races to go. The 22-year-old has finished on the podium in every one of the eight World Cup events contested so far this season, earning five wins to go with two second- and one third-place finish. With 720 points, he has a 372-point lead over his nearest rival for the coveted title of World Cup champion.

Canoe/Kayak Slalom

The 2024 COPAC Canoe Slalom Pan American Championships and Olympic Qualifier are taking place March 14-17 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top-ranked NOC not yet qualified in each of the men’s and women’s K-1 and C-1 events will secure quota spots for Paris 2024.

The Canadian team includes the five slalom paddlers who competed at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Alex Baldoni and Maël Rivard lead the Canadians competing in the men’s K-1, in which they are joined by Trevor Boyd, Nathan Christensen, Mark Zielonka, and Isaac Zimmerman. Baldoni will also be in the men’s C-1 as will junior-aged Zimmerman. Léa Baldoni, Florence Maheu, and Lois Betteridge are entered in the women’s K-1. Baldoni and Betteridge will double up and also compete in the women’s C-1.

READ: What are the differences between canoes and kayaks, sprint vs slalom events?

Biathlon

More than 200 athletes from over 25 nations descend upon Canmore, Alberta this weekend for the IBU Biathlon World Cup. This is the final stop on the IBU World Cup circuit this season, meaning that 10 World Cup globes will be awarded, including the Nations Cup.

Canadians to keep an eye out for include Emma Lunder and Benita Peiffer on the women’s side and Adam Runnalls and Christian Gow on the men’s side.

Thursday featured the women’s 7.5km sprint, followed by the men’s 10km sprint on Friday On Saturday, the men’s 12,5km and women’s 10km pursuit races will take place, followed by the men’s 15km and women’s 12.5km mass start races on Sunday.

The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games are taking place in Gangwon, South Korea. These Games will feature 15 disciplines with 81 events, and a fully gender balanced programme. The last Summer Youth Olympic Games took place in Buenos Aires in 2018 and featured 36 disciplines and 239 events.

The Youth Olympic Games are often used as a testing ground for sports that may get added to the Olympic program. For example, recent additions like sport climbing, breaking, and 3×3 basketball all made their debut at the Youth Olympic Games before making their way onto the Olympic program. 

However, the Youth Olympic Games are distinct from the Olympic Games in that they focus on both sport and personal development, including educational and cultural programming for the teenage participants.

When are the Youth Olympic Games?

The fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place in Gangwon, South Korea from January 19 – February 1. This is the same region where the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games were held.

The fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dakar, Senegal in 2026.

Where have the Youth Olympic Games been held?

Editions of the Summer Youth Olympic Games have taken place at:

• Singapore 2010
• Nanjing 2014 (China)
• Buenos Aires 2018 (Argentina)

*Dakar, Senegal was set to host the Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2022, but the Games were postponed due to COVID-19.

Editions of the Winter Youth Olympic Games have taken place at:

• Innsbruck 2012 (Austria)
• Lillehammer 2016 (Norway)
• Lausanne 2020 (Switzerland)

How big are the Youth Olympic Games?

Gangwon 2024 will feature 1900 athletes, making it the largest Winter Youth Olympic Games yet. Team Canada consists of 79 athletes.

At the last Summer Youth Olympic Games, 4000 athletes competed in Buenos Aires, including 72 members of Team Canada.

What sports are included in the Youth Olympic Games?

The Winter Youth Olympic Games at Gangwon 2024 feature the following sports/disciplines:

• Alpine Skiing
• Biathlon
• Bobsleigh
• Cross-Country Skiing
• Curling
• Figure Skating
• Freestyle Skiing
• Ice Hockey
• Luge
• Nordic Combined
• Short Track Speed Skating
• Skeleton
• Ski Jumping
• Snowboard
• Speed Skating (Long Track)

The Summer Youth Olympic Games at Buenos Aires 2018 featured the following sports/disciplines:

• Aquatics (Diving, Swimming)
• Archery
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Canoe/Kayak (Sprint, Slalom)
• Cycling
• Breaking
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Football (Soccer)
• Golf
• Gymnastics (Acrobatic, Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline)
• Handball 
• Field Hockey
• Judo
• Karate
• Modern Pentathlon
• Roller Speed Skating
• Rowing
• Rugby
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Sport Climbing
• Table Tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Triathlon
• Beach Volleyball
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Who has served as Chef de Mission for the Youth Olympic Games?

Like at the Olympic Games, the Canadian team at the Youth Olympic Games has a Chef de Mission who serves as the leader of the delegation. Like at the Olympics, it is the Chef’s role to support, inspire, and communicate on behalf of Team Canada. 

FAQ: What is a Chef de Mission?

Olympic curler Lisa Weagle will serve as the Chef de Mission for Team Canada at Gangwon 2024. Weagle attended PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 as an athlete.

Olympic swimmer Annamay Oldershaw served as the Chef de Mission for Lausanne 2020. Oldershaw competed at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The Chef de Mission from Buenos Aires 2018, Bruny Surin, is likely a familiar face to many, as he is set to serve as the Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Surin is a four-time Olympian in athletics, competing at Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. Surin was part of the gold medal winning 4x100m relay team including Donovan Bailey, Glenroy Gilbert, Robert Esmie and Carlton Chambers at Atlanta 1996.

Short track speed skating Olympian Isabelle Charest served as the Chef de Mission for Lillehammer 2016. Charest competed at Lillehammer 1994, Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake City 2002. Charest won a silver medal in 1994 as part of the women’s 3000m relay, as well as bronze medals in the same event at the 1998 and 2002 Games.

Olympic field hockey player Sandra Levy served as the Chef de Mission for Nanjing 2014. Levy competed at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992.

Beckie Scott served as the Chef de Mission for Innsbruck 2012. Scott competed at Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002 and Turin 2006. In 2002, Scott became the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. At Turin 2006, she added a silver medal in the women’s team sprint.

Who is on the Canadian Winter Youth Olympic Games Team for 2024?

Canada will be represented in Gangwon by a team of 79 emerging talents that range in age from 14-18.

Meet the team here.

The fourth edition of the Winter YOG will take place January 19 – February 1 in the same region where, just six years ago, Canadian athletes won 29 medals at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. One member of Team Canada at those Games, curler Lisa Weagle, will be making a return to the region in her new role as Chef de Mission.

READ: Chef de Mission Lisa Weagle shares Olympic wisdom and hopes for Team Canada youth at Gangwon 2024

This time, she’ll be the chief cheerleader and mentor for the team of teenagers ranging in age from 14 to 18. Team Canada will be among the 1900 athletes – the most ever at a Winter YOG – competing in a fully gender balanced sport program that features 81 events in 15 disciplines.

The biggest change from previous YOG is that mixed nationality team events are no more. One key aspect of YOG that will continue is providing these young athletes with an incredible learning opportunity as they are exposed to the concept of a major international multi-sport Games. The YOG experience goes beyond medals, teaching them about such things as preventing competition manipulation, staying mentally fit, and anti-doping.

Read on to learn more about some of the athletes representing Team Canada, how you can watch and cheer them on, and a few other fun facts.

Team Canada Athletes at Gangwon 2024

Alpine Skiing – 3

Thomas Carnahan (Ottawa, Ont.)
Elsa Feliciello (Piedmont, Que.)
Aida Draghia (Châteauguay, Que.)

Thomas Carnahan is the 2022 U16 slalom national champion. Canada has won two medals in alpine skiing at past YOG. Before they became Olympians, Roni Remme and Ali Nullmeyer each won silver in the women’s slalom at Innsbruck 2012 and Lillehammer 2016, respectively.

Biathlon – 6

Julia Bartlett (Calgary, Alta.)
Flora Csonka (Calgary, Alta.)
Dawson Ferguson (Camrose, Alta.)
Luke Hulshof (Calgary, Alta.)
Justin Konoff (Calgary, Alta.)
Cheyenne Tirschmann (Whitehorse, Yuk.)

Five of the team members will be making their international competitive debuts. Only Flora Csonka has previously raced in an international event.

Bobsleigh – 2

Talia Melun (Whistler, B.C.)
Isaak Ulmer (Calgary, Alta.)

Talia Melun and Isaak Ulmer will compete in the women’s and men’s monobob events, respectively. In November, they both competed in IBSF OMEGA Youth Series races on the Olympic track in PyeongChang which will also host the sliding sport competition at Gangwon 2024. Both are coached by recently retired four-time Olympian Christopher Spring.

Cross-Country Skiing – 4

Aramintha Bradford (Whitehorse, Yuk.)
Leanne Gartner (Canmore, Alta.)
Cedric Martel (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
Eamon Wilson (Burnaby, B.C)

Eamon Wilson is the only member of the team who has previously raced internationally outside of Canada. The Development National Ski Team member won gold and silver at the 2023 Canada Winter Games and stood on three podiums at the 2023 Nordiq Canada Ski Nationals.

Curling – 6

Mixed Team
Chloe Fediuk (Edmonton, Alta)
Owain Fisher (North River, N.S)
Nathan Gray (Dartmouth, N.S)
Allie Iskiw (Edmonton, Alta)

Mixed Doubles
Cailey Locke (Conception Bay South, N.L.)
Simon Perry (Portugal Cove, N.L.)

Chloe Fediuk and Allie Iskiw were recently part of Canada’s silver medal-winning team at the 2023 World Junior-B Curling Championships. They also represented Team Canada Alberta at the 2023 Canada Winter Games where their quartet won the silver medal. Owain Fisher and Nathan Gray were part of Team Nova Scotia at those same Canada Winter Games where they contributed to a gold medal.

Cailey Locke and Simon Perry fought back from being down 3-1 to win a best-of-seven series that served as the national mixed doubles trials. Not surprisingly, the young Newfoundlanders are both inspired by two-time Olympic medallist Brad Gushue, whose daughter Hayley plays on a team skipped by Locke. They aim to follow in the footsteps of fellow Newfoundlander Nathan Young who won gold at the last Winter YOG when mixed doubles was a mixed NOC event.

Figure Skating – 8

Ice Dance
Audra Gans (Prévost, Que.) and Michael Boutsan (Prévost, Que.)
Caroline Kravets (Kitchener, Ont.) and Jacob Stark (Waterloo, Ont.)

Men’s Singles
David Li (Richmond, B.C.)

Pairs
Annika Behnke (Peace River, Alta.) and Kole Sauve (Grand Prairie, Alta.)

Women’s Singles
Kaiya Ruiter (Calgary, Alta.)

Kaiya Ruiter is the most experienced member of the figure skating team. She made her senior ISU Grand Prix debut in October at Skate Canada International after winning silver in the senior women’s event at the 2023 Canadian Championships. She placed 10th at the 2023 ISU World Junior Championships in her hometown of Calgary.

Li competed in two ISU Junior Grand Prix events this fall while both ice dance duos made their ISU Junior Grand Prix debuts. For the first time at the Winter YOG, the team event will resemble that of the Olympic team figure skating event rather than being a mixed NOC format.

Freestyle Skiing – 10

Halfpipe

Quincy Barr (Calgary, Alta.)
Trent Morozumi (Calgary, Alta.)

Slopestyle/Big Air

Charlie Beatty (Horseshoe Valley, Ont.)
Gabrielle Dinn (Kamloops, B.C.)
Ella Garrod (Vernon, B.C.)
Matthew Lepine (Ottawa, Ont.)

Moguls

Citrine Boychuk (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
Bradley Koehler (Quebec, Que.)
Flavie Lamontagne (Quebec, Que.)
Jeremy Sauvageau (Montreal, Que.)

Charlie Beatty is the reigning world junior champion in men’s ski slopestyle, while Matthew Lepine won silver in men’s big air at those same FIS Junior World Ski Championships.

The coach of the moguls team is three-time Olympian Audrey Robichaud.

Ice Hockey – 18

Goaltenders
Mateo Beites (Sudbury, Ont./Barrie, OMHA-U16)
Colin Ellsworth (Aurora, Ont./York Simcoe, OMHA-U16)
Carter Esler (Okotoks, Alta./Okotoks, AEHL-U18)

Defence
Cameron Chartrand (Saint-Lazare, Que./Bishop Kearney Selects, USHS)
Callum Croskery (Oakville, Ont./Oakville, OMHA-U16)
Ryan Lin (Richmond, B.C./Delta Hockey Academy, CSSHL-U18)
Zach Nyman (Toronto, Ont./Vaughan, GTHL-U16)
Daxon Rudolph (Lacombe, Alta./Northern Alberta, CSSHL-U18)
Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta./RHA Kelowna, CSSHL-U18)

Forwards
Alessandro Di Iorio (Vaughan, Ont./Vaughan, GTHL-U16)
Beckham Edwards (London, Ont./Detroit Little Caesars, US15U)
Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, N.B./Shattuck-St. Mary’s, USHS)
Aiden O’Donnell (Cole Harbour, N.S./Dartmouth, NSU18MHL)
Mathis Preston (Penticton, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, CSSHL-U18)
Liam Ruck (Osoyoos, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, CSSHL-U18)
Markus Ruck (Osoyoos, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, CSSHL-U18)
Adam Valentini (Toronto, Ont./Toronto Marlboros, GTHL-U16)
Braidy Wassilyn (Puslinch, Ont./Markham, GTHL-U16)

Team Canada will be looking for a third straight Winter YOG medal in men’s hockey after winning bronze at Innsbruck 2012 and Lausanne 2020, sandwiched around a silver medal at Lillehammer 2016.

Luge – 3

Ava Lucia Huerta (Calgary, Alta.)
Bastian van Wouw (Red Deer, Alta.)
Maya Yuen (Calgary, Alta.)

Ava Lucia Huerta is the youngest member of Team Canada at Gangwon 2024. She and Maya Yeun will compete in women’s singles while Bastian van Wouw is competing in men’s singles.

Canada has won three medals in luge at past Winter YOG, including gold by Brooke Apshkrum and bronze by Reid Watts in the women’s and men’s singles events, respectively, at Lillehammer 2016.

Short Track Speed Skating – 4

Courtney Charlong (Campbellton, N.B.)
Victor Chartrand (Laval, Que.)
Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
Océane Guérard (Quebec City, Que.)

Courtney Charlon and Victor Chartrand bring the most experience to the team, having competed in ISU Junior World Cup events earlier this season. They’re also aiming to compete at the ISU Junior World Championships in February.

This is just the second time Canada has sent a short track team to the Winter YOG. At Lausanne 2020, Florence Brunelle won two medals. She became an Olympian just two years later at Beijing 2022.

Ski Cross – 4

William ‘Kael’ Johnston (Calgary, Alta.)
Anne-Marie Joncas (Whistler, B.C.)
Cole Merrett (Calgary, Alta.)
Kael Oberlander (Big White, B.C.)

All four ski cross athletes will be competing in their first overseas international event. They look to add to Canada’s two Winter YOG medals in the discipline, which includes a gold by future Olympian Reece Howden at Lillehammer 2016.

Ski Jumping – 1

Tarik VanWieren (Calgary, Alta.)

The lone member of Canada’s ski jumping team in Gangwon, Tarik VanWieren made his international debut at the 2023 FIS Junior World Ski Championships on home snow in Whistler last February.

Snowboard – 10

Halfpipe
Felicity Geremia (Calgary, Alta.)
Lily-Ann Ulmer (Calgary, Alta.)

Slopestyle/Big Air
Eli Bouchard (Lac Beauport, Que.)
Amalia Pelchat (Whistler, B.C.)
Neko Reimer (Rossland, B.C.)
Avery Spalding (Havelock, Ont.)

Snowboard Cross
Olivier Gagné (Lac-Etchemin, Que.)
Rose Savard-Ferguson (Baie-Saint-Paul, Que.)
Anthony Shelly (Whistler, B.C.)
Hannah Turkington (Whistler, B.C.)

Seven of Team Canada’s snowboarders have competed at the FIS Junior World Championships. Felicity Geremia, Lily-Ann Ulmer, and Eli Bouchard have also competed in FIS World Cup events against some of the best in the world.

The snowboard team includes a couple of second-generation athletes. Amalia Pelchat’s father Jean-François was a World Cup competitor in the halfpipe in the 1990s, just before snowboard became an Olympic sport. Rose Savard-Ferguson had been a competitive figure skater before discovering snowboard, moving away from the sport in which her mother, Marie-Claude Savard Gagnon, became an Olympian in the pairs event at Nagano 1998.

Canada has won five Winter YOG medals in snowboard, including three by Liam Brearley at Lausanne 2020 in the halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events.

How to Watch the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games

CBC/Radio-Canada will provide a livestream at CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem app. The Olympic Channel will also provide full livestream coverage.

Freeskier Evan McEachran had a big career breakthrough in Europe, while Valérie Grenier led the way as the alpine skiing World Cup circuit arrived in North America.

Plus, some of Team Canada’s brightest stars from the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games have a chance to win one more prize, with a little help from their fans.

Here’s what you need to know:

Freestyle Skiing: First career World Cup win for McEachran

Evan McEachran took gold at the first ski slopestyle World Cup stop of the season in Stubai, Austria. While it was his sixth career World Cup podium, it was the first ever World Cup victory for the 26-year-old. He posted the highest score (93.00) in the qualification round, which stood up for the win after the finals were cancelled due to severe winds and heavy snow in the forecast.

READ: First career gold for Evan McEachran at ski slopestyle World Cup opener

Alpine Skiing: Grenier claims Canada’s best result in Killington

Valérie Grenier finished fifth in Saturday’s women’s giant slalom race at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Killington, Vermont. It is her fourth straight top-seven finish dating back to the end of last season. Grenier had been in seventh place after the first run before moving up two spots. She ended up 0.63 of a second out of a podium position. This is Grenier’s seventh career top-five finish on the World Cup circuit, five of which have come in giant slalom.

Britt Richardson was the only other Canadian to finish both giant slalom runs. She placed 22nd, tying her career-best World Cup result. Next week, Grenier and Richardson will be among the Canadian women competing in giant slalom on home snow at the first alpine skiing World Cup race in Tremblant, Quebec in 40 years.

The top Canadian in Sunday’s slalom race was Ali Nullmeyer who placed 13th, one spot ahead of reigning world champion Laurence St-Germain.

Figure Skating: Five Canadian teams qualify for Grand Prix Final

At the final stop of the ISU Grand Prix series, two Canadian teams recorded seventh place finishes — Kelly Ann Laurin & Loucas Ethier in the pairs event and Marie-Jade Lauriault & Romain Le Gac in ice dance.

With the six-stop series now complete, the qualifiers for the ISU Grand Prix Final taking place December 7-10 in Beijing, China are confirmed.

Canada can boast three of the six ice dance duos. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who won last year’s Final, topped this year’s standings with two victories and the highest scores recorded. Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Nikolaj Soerensen are headed to their second straight Grand Prix Final while Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha have qualified for their first senior Grand Prix Final. Both teams won two silver medals.

Two of the six qualified pairs are Canadian. Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are first in the standings after two wins with the highest scores of the series. This will be their second straight trip to the Grand Prix Final. In just the second season of their partnership, Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud qualified in third place with one gold and one silver medal

Cross-Country Skiing: Top 25s at World Cup opener

Canadian cross-country skiers kicked off their FIS World Cup circuit in Ruka, Finland over the weekend.

In the men’s classic sprint on Friday, Graham Ritchie and Antoine Cyr advanced to the quarterfinal heats and placed 23rd and 24th, respectively.

Katherine Stewart-Jones followed up her 25th-place finish in the women’s 10km classic on Saturday with a 22nd-place result in the women’s 20km mass start free on Sunday.

The team will now head to the next World Cup stop this coming weekend in Gällivare, Sweden.

Biathlon: Gow and Lunder crack top 15 in mixed relay

At the season opening stop of the IBU World Cup, Christian Gow and Emma Lunder finished 15th in the single mixed relay on Saturday in Oestersund, Sweden. A little later in the day, Adam Runnalls, Trevor Kiers, Benita Peiffer and Nadia Moser placed 18th in the 4x6km mixed relay.

After a couple days off, competition will resume in Oestersund on Wednesday and continue into the weekend.

Panam Sports Awards: Vote for Team Canada’s nominated athletes!

Four Canadians are up for more prizes after their great their performances at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games — and Team Canada fans can help them win. Voting is open for the Panam Sports Awards until December 5. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Miami on December 9.

Hammer throw gold medallist Ethan Katzberg is nominated for Best Male Athlete after setting a Pan Am Games record in the final.

Swimmer Maggie Mac Neil, who became the first Canadian athlete to ever win five gold medals at one edition of the Pan Am Games, is nominated for Best Female Athlete.

Badminton player Brian Yang is up for the Male Cali 2021 Legacy Award after following up his two gold medals at the inaugural Junior Pan Am Games with a gold in the men’s singles event in Santiago.

Taekwondo athlete Skylar Park is a nominee for the Changemaker Award. After winning her gold medal, she and her brothers visited a local taekwondo school where they provided free lessons to the children.