South Africa at the 2026 Winter Olympics
| South Africa at the 2026 Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
| IOC code | RSA |
| NOC | South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy 6 February 2026 – 22 February 2026 | |
| Competitors | 5 (2 men and 3 women) in 4 sports |
| Flag bearers (opening) | Matthew Smith & Nicole Burger |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Thomas Weir |
| Medals |
|
| Winter Olympics appearances (overview) | |
South Africa competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 6 to 22 February 2026. The 2026 games were its first participation in the Winter Olympics since 2018 after missing the 2022 games.
Cross-country skier Matthew Smith and skeleton athlete Nicole Burger were the country's flagbearer during the opening ceremony.[1][2][3] Meanwhile, Thomas Weir was the country's flagbearer during the closing ceremony.[4][5]
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.[6][7]
| Athlete | Event | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Thomas Weir | Men's giant slalom | 1:29.55 | 68 | 1:22.48 | 62 | 2:52.03 | 63 |
| Men's slalom | DNF | ||||||
| Lara Markthaler | Women's giant slalom | 1:12.17 | 51 | 1:19.29 | 48 | 2:31.46 | 47 |
| Women's slalom | 52.72 | 46 | 56.95 | 40 | 1:49.67 | 39 | |
Cross-country skiing
South Africa qualified one male cross-country skier through the basic quota.[8] 34-year-old Matt Smith qualified to represent the country in the sport.[9] Smith had only taken up the sport two years ago after moving from South Africa to Norway.[10] This will mark the country's first participation in the sport in 16 years, after last competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[11]
| Athlete | Event | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Deficit | Rank | ||
| Matthew Smith | Men's 10 km freestyle | 30:04.4 | +9:28.2 | 108 |
Freestyle skiing
South Africa qualified a female athlete in moguls and dual moguls through the World Cup and 2025 World Championship event.[12]
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 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Malica Malherbe | Women's dual moguls | Anthony (AUS) L DNF-35 |
Did not advance | ||||
Skeleton
South Africa qualified a single female skeleton racer, securing one quota spot based on the IBSF Ranking List for the 2025–26 season.[13]
| 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 | 59.63 | 25 | 59.43 | 25 | 1:00.06 | 25 | 58.98 | 24 | 3:58.10 | 25 |
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.