Ireland will have a team of four athletes at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which begin on Friday February 6.
Irish competitors will take part in events across four competition hubs in northern Italy.
Team Ireland combines emerging talent with established experience, with three new Olympians and one athlete competing in his third Olympic Games.
Irish athletes will compete in alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and cross-country skiing.
Meet the Ireland team
Anabelle Zurbay
Anabelle will compete in alpine skiing, focusing specifically on technical events – slalom and giant slalom, the latter being her favorite event. The Colorado-based athlete is not only the youngest member of the team; She is also the youngest Irish athlete to compete in alpine skiing at the Olympics and she turned 17 last December. Zurbay’s family, through his maternal grandmother, comes from Rosemount, outside Moate. Anabelle, also known as Annie, will compete on the Cortina cluster.
Ben Lynch
Ben will compete in the freestyle skiing halfpipe event. The Dublin-born skier moved to Vancouver, Canada, with his family when he was three, where he discovered skiing. Although his family were mostly successful rowers, Ben enjoyed the freedom of skiing, and especially the expressive element of freestyle disciplines. He is participating in the Olympic Games for the first time and will be based in Livigno for the duration of the Games.
Cormac Comerford
Cormac will compete in alpine skiing, with slalom being his favorite discipline. The Dublin skier learned his love of skiing on the dry slopes of Kilternan and is also taking part in his first Olympic Games. Working as a mechanical engineer in the off-season, Cormac spends most of the winter traveling in Europe, training and competing. It will compete within the Bormio cluster.
Thomas Maloney Westcourt
Thomas is the veteran of the team and is expected to compete in his third Olympic Games, while he will become only the second man to compete in three Winter Games. He participates in cross-country events, the 50 km race being his favorite discipline. Thomas was born on a small island called Leka in Norway to a Galway mother and a Norwegian father, and after a few extremely successful seasons, he competed for the professional team Team Aker Dæhlie. Thomas will compete in Predazzo, in the Val di Fiemme cluster.
Ireland team schedule
February 6 Opening ceremony – Milan (Irish in the centers of Livigno, Cortina and Predazzo)
February 7 Cormac Comerford – Downhill (Alpine Skiing), Bormio
February 8 Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10 km + 10 km skiathlon (cross-country skiing), Predazzo
February 11 Cormac Comerford – Super-G (Alpine Skiing), Bormio
February 13 Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10 km free (cross-country), Predazzo
February 14 Cormac Comerford – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Bormio
February 15 Anabelle Zurbay – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Cortina
February 16 Cormac Comerford – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine skiing), Bormio
February 18 Anabelle Zurbay – Slalum Run 1 & 2 (Alpine skiing)
February 19 Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Qualification (freestyle skiing), Livigno
February 20 Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Final (freestyle skiing), Livigno
February 21 Thomas Maloney Westgård – 50 km classic (cross-country), Predazzo
February 22 Closing Ceremony – Verona (All athletes)
Television coverage on RTÉ Player
Friday February 6: Opening ceremony – Milan (Irish in the clusters of Livigno, Cortina and Predazzo); RTÉ news channel and RTÉ player, 6:55 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday February 7: Cormac Comerford – Downhill (alpine skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 11:20 a.m. to 12:55 p.m.
Sunday February 8: Thomas Maloney Westgård – Skiathlon 10 km + 10 km (cross-country skiing), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 11:20 a.m. to 12:55 p.m.
Wednesday February 11: Cormac Comerford – Super-G (alpine skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 10:20 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Friday February 13: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10 km free (cross-country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 10:35 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Saturday February 14: Cormac Comerford – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (alpine skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 8:50 a.m. to 11:05 a.m., 12:20 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Sunday February 15: Anabelle Zurbay – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (alpine skiing), Cortina; RTÉ Player, 8:50 a.m. to 11:05 a.m., 12:20 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Monday February 16: Cormac Comerford – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (alpine skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 8:50 a.m. to 11:05 a.m., 12:20 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Wednesday February 18: Anabelle Zurbay – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine skiing), Cortina; RTÉ Player, 8:50 a.m. to 11:05 a.m., 12:20 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Thursday February 19: Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Qualification (freestyle skiing), Livigno; RTÉ Player, 9:25 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Friday February 20: Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Final (freestyle skiing), Livigno; RTÉ Player, 9:25 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Saturday February 21: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 50 km classic (cross-country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 9:50 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunday February 22: Closing Ceremony – Verona (All athletes); RTÉ Player, 6:45 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The position Ireland’s 4-member team will compete at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.
