How do countries fall in love with a sport that is largely unfamiliar to them? How can you appreciate the freedom of gliding across an icy surface if you don’t live in a place with ice?

Fourteen athletes from eight African nations are set to compete at the Winter Olympics, marking a significant increase from Beijing 2022.

Athletes from around the world are in the Italian Alps for the opening of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday – including 13 sportspeople from eight African countries. Though the continent isn't associated with winter sports,

Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine skiing): 108 World Cup wins and 164 podiums, the most ever, with 3 Olympic medals and titles across six disciplines. Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing): Back from retirement at age 41 with 84 World Cup wins, 3 Olympic medals, and a comeback enabled by knee surgery.

The Associated Press is naming and shaming majority-white European nations competing in the Winter Olympics for their apparent lack of diversity, insisting the recent influx of migrants into the countries should be instantly represented among their most elite athletes.

Of the 122 current National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that have ever sent athletes to the Winter Olympic Games, 92 are competing in Milan Cortina. The bid to win a medal is more elusive for some than others.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics officially get underway on Friday, February 6, with the Opening Ceremony, which features the flag bearers from every participating country making the march alongside the country’s flag and their countrymates who will be

More than 3500 athletes from 93 countries will be competing for 195 medals at the Milan-Cortina Games. Three countries will be making their Winter Olympic debuts at the 2026 Games, the African nations of Benin and Guinea Bissau along with the United Arab Emirates.

The Olympic Games have historically rejected Black athletes based on race, banned them for protesting, disqualified them for their natural physical attributes, and established a gatekeeping culture of anti-Blackness that often tries to keep their successes and credits at bay-but Black athletes have always persevered.

South Africa are set to be the best-represented African country at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics (Feb. 6-22), with five athletes expected to participate among a total 13 from the continent.

The Parade of Nations ranged from countries with a single athlete to those with massive rosters. Here's which country has the most 2026 athletes. (AP Photo)

It’s a big day for Moroccan sport as the Winter Olympics open in Milan today. Morocco contributes to a record African delegation.