Africa is represented at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games with 14 athletes from eight nations, one of which is Guinea-Bissau, demonstrating remarkable growth and an increasingly structured presence of the continent at the event.

For a continent that stretches across the equator and is mostly defined by tropical climates, where ice and snow are rare, Africa's presence at the Winter Olympic Games is remarkable. Despite the conditions, athletes from across the continent have found creative ways to practice winter sports, training and competing far from home to reach the Olympic stage.

As has often been the case, many of Africa's representatives at Milano Cortina 2026 were born abroad – having grown up in countries with established winter sports infrastructure – but chose to compete for their nations of origin.

From Squaw Valley 1960, when South Africa became the first African nation to compete in the Winter Olympic Games, to the record of 14 countries present at these games, the journey has been marked by political obstacles, structural limitations, and talent forged far from the African mountains.

Milano Cortina 2026 thus emerges as yet another chapter in this story of resistance and vision, where the ice becomes a stage for Africa to reclaim its place.

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Africa's history at the Winter Olympic Games officially began in 1960, when South Africa sent four figure skaters to Squaw Valley in the United States. It was a timid but symbolic first step that paved the way for future generations of athletes.

However, a few years later, apartheid policies led to the country's exclusion from the Olympic Movement, prolonging a three-decade silence at the Winter Olympic Games. This hiatus revealed that the African presence on the ice has always been linked not only to the climate, but also to the political tensions and social transformations of the continent.

Morocco became the second African country to enter the Winter Olympic map by participating in Grenoble 1968 with five alpine skiers. Intermittent participations followed until, in Sarajevo 1984, three African nations – Senegal, Egypt and Morocco – were simultaneously represented.

That same year, Lamine Gueye, from Senegal, became the first black African to compete in the Winter Olympic Games. His performance on the European tracks challenged prejudices and broadened horizons, inspiring many young Africans to dream of the possibility of practicing winter sports.

Kenya would later emerge with Philip Boit in Nagano 1998, just two years after the athlete had seen snow for the first time. Boit's story is particularly inspiring, having started training with borrowed equipment and without any prior cross-country skiing experience.

Norwegian Bjorn Daehlie's embrace of Boit after the race became one of the most human and emblematic gestures in Olympic history, symbolizing the camaraderie and unity that sport can provide. Since then, other African athletes have followed in the footsteps of these pioneers, demonstrating that the passion for sport can overcome geographical and climatic barriers.

A Presence, Increasingly Present

Athletes like Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, the "Snow Leopard" of Ghana, and Sabrina Simader, the Kenyan skier who competed in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, have contributed to increasing the visibility of winter sports in Africa and inspiring new generations of athletes.

By 2022, a total of fifteen African countries had participated in the Winter Olympic Games. None won medals in the senior competition, but Adam Lamhamedi's gold medal from Morocco at the 2012 Innsbruck Winter Youth Olympic Games demonstrated that African talent can shine even in sub-zero temperatures.

Africa's presence at the Winter Olympics has thus gone from an exception to a constant presence – with 8 countries represented in the current games – supported by a generation that refuses to accept geographical limitations and seeks opportunities to develop its talent in different parts of the world.

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Milano Cortina 2026 represents a quantitative and qualitative milestone for Africa in the Winter Olympic Games. Fourteen athletes from eight countries will compete on the Italian tracks, a significant increase compared to the six athletes who were in Beijing 2022. This increase reflects a growing interest in and investment in winter sports in Africa, as well as better preparation and support for athletes.

Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Kenya, and Eritrea will each be represented by one athlete. Madagascar and Morocco will each have two athletes, while South Africa will have the largest delegation from the continent, with five athletes.

Nine of the athletes will compete in alpine skiing, three in cross-country skiing, one in skeleton, and another in freestyle skiing.

African Athletes at Milano Cortina 2026

• Benin: Nathan Tchibozo, 21 years old, alpine skier. Born in France, he will make his debut at the Winter Olympic Games, becoming the first athlete from Benin to compete in the event.
• Eritrea: Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda, 29 years old, alpine skier. Born in Canada, he will compete in his third Winter Olympic Games, having represented Eritrea in PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022. Abeda made history in 2018 by becoming the first male athlete to represent Eritrea in the Winter Olympic Games.
• Guinea-Bissau: Winston Tang, 19 years old, alpine skier. Born in Park City, Utah, he is an athlete with Taiwanese, American, and Guinean origins. He will make his Winter Olympic Games debut representing Guinea-Bissau.
• Nigeria: Samuel Ikpefan, 33 years old, cross-country skier. Raised in the French Alps, he will represent Nigeria at the Winter Olympics for the second time. His debut in Beijing 2022 was affected by disruptions related to COVID-19, so he is now looking for a more consistent campaign.
• Kenya: Issa Laborde, alpine skier. He also represented the country at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games. Born and raised in France, he chose to represent his mother's country.
• Madagascar:
  • Mialitiana Clerc, 24 years old, alpine skier. Born in France, she will compete in her third Winter Olympic Games, becoming the first African woman to participate in three editions of the event.
  • Mathieu Neumuller (known as Mathieu Gravier), alpine skier. He will participate in his second Olympic Games, after his debut in Beijing 2022.
• Morocco:
  • Pietro Tranchina, alpine skier. Born in Piedmont, Italy, he changed his nationality to Morocco in June 2025. He will make his World Cup debut in Sölden in October, in the giant slalom.
  • Abderrahim Kemmissa, cross-country skier. He will compete in the 10km freestyle race.
• South Africa:
  • Lara Markthaler, 18 years old, alpine skiing.
  • Thomas Weir, 17 years old, alpine skiing.
  • Matthew Smith, cross-country skiing.
  • Malica Malherbe, freestyle skiing.
  • Nicole Burger, skeleton.

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Beyond the numbers and statistics, it is the individual stories of the athletes that make African participation in the Winter Olympic Games so inspiring. Many of these athletes face significant challenges in pursuing their dreams, from a lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment to financial difficulties and the need to train far from their countries.

• Samuel Ikpefan (Nigeria): Raised in the French Alps, Samuel Ikpefan chose to represent Nigeria, his father's country, as a way to honor his origins and inspire other young Nigerians to practice winter sports. After a hampered debut at Beijing 2022 due to pandemic restrictions, he now returns more prepared and determined to showcase his talent. His story symbolizes the connection between diaspora and identity, a recurring element in Africa at the Winter Olympic Games.

• Mialitiana Clerc (Madagascar): Born in France, Mialitiana Clerc has embraced Madagascar as her sporting home and has become a role model for young African women who never imagined competing in snow sports. Her third Olympic appearance is not just a statistical achievement; it is a declaration of continuity and an example that it is possible to overcome difficulties and achieve your goals with hard work and dedication.
• Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda (Eritrea): Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda, from Eritrea, also returns for her final Olympic appearance, emphasizing that legacy is not measured solely by rankings, but by the paths she opens and the inspiration she provides to other athletes. Her participation serves as an example of resilience and perseverance, showing that it is possible to compete at the highest level, even when facing adversity.
• Nathan Tchibozo (Benin) and Winston Tang (Guinea-Bissau): Nathan Tchibozo, from Benin, and Winston Tang, from Guinea-Bissau, represent historic debuts, highlighting the globalization of sport and the importance of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Olympic Solidarity grants that have supported several African athletes in their preparation for Milano Cortina 2026. Their stories show that financial and structural support is fundamental to enabling athletes from low-resource countries to compete on a level playing field.

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The African continent has won more than 400 medals at the Summer Olympic Games since 1908, mainly in middle and long-distance races. However, at the Winter Olympic Games, the medal count remains blank. The explanation doesn't require complex analysis: African geography and climate do not offer the natural conditions for the regular practice of snow and ice sports.

The average annual temperature is around 26 degrees Celsius, and the difference between the hottest and coldest months is small. Even so, Africa plays a central role in the Winter Olympic Games, embodying the ideal of universality that underpins the Olympic Movement. Since 1984, at least one African nation has participated in every edition of the Winter Olympic Games.

This continuity reveals institutional persistence and ambition, showing that African countries are committed to promoting winter sports and providing opportunities for their athletes. Globalization, migration, and access to training abroad have allowed young Africans to be exposed to sports such as alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and skeleton.

Many returned to compete under the colors of their countries of origin, transforming the diaspora into a strategic asset and contributing to the development of winter sports in Africa. Milano Cortina 2026 confirms that Africa is no longer just an occasional presence, but a structural component of the event.

The absence of medals does not diminish the significance of participation. Each descent on an alpine slope, each push in a skeleton sled, each kilometer covered in cross-country skiing represents a collective affirmation: sport does not belong to a specific latitude, but to the human will to overcome boundaries and pursue one's dreams, regardless of the circumstances.