Kenya will be represented by two athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games set to take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, marking another milestone in the country’s growing presence at global winter sports events.
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) has confirmed that Sabrina Wanjiku Simader and Issa Laborde have officially qualified for the Milano Cortina Games. Both athletes will compete in Alpine Skiing, a discipline in which Kenya continues to build international competitiveness.
Kenya Expands Its Olympic Footprint
Kenya is traditionally dominant in the Summer Olympics, particularly in track and field, but recent years have seen deliberate efforts to establish a presence in the Winter Games. With two qualified athletes, Kenya will be the second-most represented African nation at the 2026 Winter Olympics, behind South Africa, which will field five competitors.
When Are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will run from February 6 to February 22, 2026. The Games will feature:
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16 disciplines
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8 sports
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116 medal events
Approximately 2,900 athletes from 90 countries are expected to compete across the two Italian host cities.
Kenyan Athletes Qualified for Milano Cortina
Sabrina Simader and Issa Laborde will carry Kenya’s flag at the Games, continuing the country’s steady expansion into winter sports.
Sabrina Wanjiku Simader
Simader is Kenya’s most experienced winter sports athlete. Born in Kenya and raised in Austria, she learned skiing at a young age and has since represented Kenya on some of the world’s most demanding alpine courses.
Milano Cortina 2026 will mark her third Olympic appearance, having previously competed at:
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PyeongChang 2018, where she became Kenya’s first female Olympic skier
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Beijing 2022
She has frequently spoken about her pride in representing her country of birth on the global stage.
Issa Laborde
Issa Laborde, who is French-born, qualifies to represent Kenya through his mother. He steps onto the senior Olympic stage after previously representing the country at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, where he competed in all four Alpine Skiing events.
Laborde will make his Olympic debut alongside Simader, further strengthening Kenya’s alpine skiing program.
Competition Schedule
The Alpine Skiing events will be spread across the Games:
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Issa Laborde is scheduled to compete on February 14
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Sabrina Simader will take to the slopes on February 18
NOCK Statement
In a statement, NOCK emphasized the significance of the qualification, noting that Kenya’s presence at the Winter Olympics is no longer symbolic.
“These athletes continue to show that Kenyan representation at the Winter Olympics is not symbolic, but competitive and intentional. Their journey to Milano Cortina is the result of years of discipline, international exposure, and technical development,” NOCK said.
Africa at Milano Cortina 2026
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South Africa: 5 athletes
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Kenya: 2 athletes
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Six other African countries: 1 athlete each
Kenya’s participation highlights Africa’s growing involvement in winter sports traditionally dominated by European and North American nations.
