Skeleton Irish crew covering huge amount of ground at latest Winter Olympics

For the Irish sporting public, the Winter Games are never less than a steep learning curve.

Thomas Maloney Westgaard of Team Ireland after competing in a test race ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Seefeld, Austria. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Next Friday something in the region of 1,300 performers from 27 nations will bring months of rehearsals to a natural end point when they appear at the famous San Siro for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli will take top billing although Milan itself will share the spotlight with delegations parading in three other Games ‘clusters’ - Cortina d’Ampezzo, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme – being used to host this year.