Guinea-Bissau at the 2026 Winter Olympics
| Guinea-Bissau at the 2026 Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
| IOC code | GBS |
| NOC | Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee |
| Website | cogb |
| in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy 6 February 2026 – 22 February 2026 | |
| Competitors | 1 (1 man) in 1 sport |
| Flag bearer (opening) | Winston Tang |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Winston Tang |
| Medals |
|
| Winter Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Guinea-Bissau competed at the men's slalom event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Bormio, Italy, on 16 February 2026. It was its first time participating in the Winter Olympic Games.
Guinea-Bissau's participation in the Winter Olympics was enabled through Tang Wei-tsu, a Taiwanese American businessman and former Olympic skier, seeking investment opportunities in the Bissau-Guinean cashew industry. Tang met with government and non-government authorities in the country, and his participation in the 1988 Winter Olympics and 1992 Winter Olympics was mentioned. This led to the creation of the Winter Sports Federation of Guinea-Bissau so that the country could qualify for the Winter Olympics.[1][2] The federation was founded in February 2024 and was made an associate member of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) in June 2024.[2]
In 2025, the Bissau-Guinean government promoted a vote amongst its ministers to grant Bissau-Guinean nationality to Winston Tang through his father's connection to the nation so that he could represent the country at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Tang changed his sporting nationality to Bissau-Guinean in June 2025 upon approval by the FIS.[1][3] He began to train across Europe and was awarded an Olympic Scholarship by the International Olympic Committee to assist with his preparations for the Winter Games.[4] Through the basic quota, Guinea-Bissau was eligible to send one male alpine skier to the Games.[5] Winston was then selected as the first Bissau-Guinean to compete at the Winter Olympics and trained in Bosnia and Herzegovina before ultimately going to Milan.[1] During the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, Tang was the flag bearer for the nation.[6][7][8] Tang was also the country's flag bearer during the closing ceremony.[9][10]
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors participating at the Games per sport/discipline.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine skiing | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Alpine skiing
Guinea-Bissau qualified one male alpine skier through the basic quota.[11]
| Athlete | Event | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Winston Tang[12] | Men's slalom | DNF | |||||
References
- ^ a b c Barata, Pedro (3 February 2026). "Winston Tang, o guineense do Utah que vai aos Jogos Olímpicos à boleia do caju" [Winston Tang, the Guinean from Utah who's going to the Olympic Games thanks to cashew nuts.]. Tribuna Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b "The year when snow sports came to life in Guinea-Bissau". International Ski and Snowboard Federation. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "FIS Council Meeting, 12th & 13th June 2025 Summary Minutes" (PDF). International Ski and Snowboard Federation. p. 10. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Winston TANG". Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Alpine Skiing quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ "Winston Tang Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony: All Flagbearers, all nations - complete list". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ Roche, Calum (6 February 2026). "2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony: order and flag bearers by country". Diario AS. Madrid, Spain. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ "Milano Cortina 2026 Closing Ceremony: full list of flagbearers for every nation". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Moore, Casey L.; Bowers, Rachel G (22 February 2026). "Olympics closing ceremony highlights: Milano Cortina Games wrap up in style". USA Today. New York City, New York, USA. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Alpine Skiing quotas list for Olympic Winter Games 2026". International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ "FIS COUNCIL MEETING 12TH & 13TH JUNE 2025 SUMMARY MINUTES" (PDF). International Ski Federation (FIS). 14 June 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2025.