The UAE will participate in the Winter Olympics for the very first time by sending two skiers to February's Games in Italy.
The country has previously enjoyed representation at the Winter Youth Olympic Games but never the main event. That is set to change next month when Alex Astridge and Piera Hudson compete in the Alpine skiing competitions of the 26th Winter Olympics, hosted in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina from February 6-22.
The duo's participation was announced during a press conference held on Thursday morning by the UAE National Olympic Committee at its headquarters in Dubai.
Hamel Al Qubaisi, vice-president of the UAE Winter Sports Federation, said the news was the realisation of a long-held ambition to send athletes to the Games.
He said: “Today, we take pride in the journey achieved by the UAE Winter Sports Federation, and we look forward to seeing our athletes represent their country with pride on the Olympic stage.
“The UAE national team’s historic participation in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy represents an unprecedented achievement and affirms that Emirati sport knows no boundaries – neither geographical nor climatic – but is driven by an ambitious vision to build a generation capable of excellence and global competitiveness.”
The opening ceremony will be held simultaneously across four different locations on February 6, with Astridge carrying the UAE flag in Milan, while Hudson flies it in Cortina.
Astridge, 19, is a home-grown talent having learnt the sport at Ski Dubai. He first took up skiing at three and has competed for the UAE at numerous youth competitions.
“I've lived in Dubai my whole life and I learnt at Ski Dubai. I was seven when I did my first race here. Recently, I competed at the Youth Olympics in Gangwon,” he told The National in February 2025 ahead of competing at the Asian Winter Games in China.
Hudson, 29, previously represented her native New Zealand before switching to the UAE in June 2025.
Al Qubaisi added that the UAE’s previous participations in the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2024, the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 and the Asian Winter Games 2025 demonstrated the country’s ability to produce top talent.
UAE athletes have benefited from international training programmes, including the FIS Development Programme in Switzerland. The UAE became an official member of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation in September 2024, further strengthening the nation’s presence on the international stage.
The UAE sent two athletes to the Winter Youth Olympics two years ago in Gangwon where Alex Striedger competed in Alpine skiing and Amenah Al Muhairi lined up in the snowboarding competition.
Next month's Games will see the participation of around 2,900 elite athletes from across the world, competing for 114 sets of medals across eight sports and 16 disciplines.
