Snowboard: How to qualify for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games 

It’s time for the world’s best snowboarders to shine. At the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, 238 snowboard athletes will pursue the biggest glory in sport: an Olympic medal.

All events will be held in Livigno, Valtellina, at Livigno Snow Park, a traditional venue where snowboard is practiced in Italy.

The Olympic programme at Milano Cortina 2026 will mirror that of Beijing 2022, with 11 medal events: mixed team snowboard cross, big air, slopestyle, halfpipe, cross, and parallel giant slalom for both men and women.

Snowboard first became part of the Olympic programme at Nagano 1998, with parallel giant slalom and halfpipe events for both men and women. Snowboard cross was added eight years later at Turin 2006, followed by slopestyle at Sochi 2014. Big air debuted at PyeongChang 2018, and the mixed team snowboard cross was introduced at Beijing 2022.

American legend Shaun White is the only three-time Olympic champion snowboarder, with halfpipe golds from Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010, and PyeongChang 2018. Also from the U.S., Jamie Anderson and Lindsey Jacobellis are two-time Olympic champions with an additional silver medal each. France’s Pierre Vaultier and Switzerland’s Philipp Schoch also have two Olympic golds apiece.

Recent young stars in the sport include the USA’s Chloe Kim and the Czech Republic’s Ester Ledecká, both two-time Olympic champions in halfpipe and parallel giant slalom, respectively.

Find out everything you need to know about the Olympic qualification system for snowboard, including the number of athletes in each event and the qualification timeline.

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How to qualify for the snowboard competition at Milano Cortina 2026?

Qualification for snowboard at Milano Cortina 2026 is based on the Olympic Quota Allocation List, which will be published on 19 January 2026.

This list ranks athletes per event and gender by summing their FIS World Cup points during the qualification period (from 1 July 2024 to 18 January 2026), along with points from the FIS Snowboard World Championships 2025.

The allocation will be made by assigning one quota place per athlete to the respective NOCs, including the host country, from the top of the Olympic Quota Allocation List downwards until the maximum total quotas per event and per NOC limits are reached.

For a detailed explanation of quotas and how to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026, please check the official documents here.

The host country will automatically receive eight quota places: one per event and gender, for athletes who meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the snowboard qualification document above.

What are the key dates for snowboard qualification for Milano Cortina 2026?

• 1 July 2024 – 18 January 2026: qualification period
• 16-30 March 2025: FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships 2025 in St.Moritz Engadin (SUI)
• 19 January 2026: publication of the Olympic Quota Allocation List and Continental Cup Olympic List
• 21-22 January 2026: FIS to reallocate any unused quotas
• 26 January 2026: Milano Cortina 2026 Sport Entries deadline

How many athletes will compete in snowboard at Milano Cortina 2026?

A total of 238 athletes (119 men and 119 women) will take part in the snowboarding competitions at Milano Cortina 2026.

The maximum number of quotas per NOC is 26 (13 men and 13 women). The maximum number of athletes from the same NOC in any event is four per gender. Snowboard slopestyle and snowboard big air are considered one event.

Each NOC can have a maximum of three teams in the mixed team snowboard cross.

The quota places are distributed across the different events in the sport’s Olympic programme as follows:

• Parallel giant slalom: 32 athletes per gender
• Cross: 32 athletes per gender
• Halfpipe: 25 athletes per gender
• Slopestyle/Big Air: 30 athletes per gender

Milano Cortina 2026 snowboard competition format and schedule

The snowboard competition at Milano Cortina 2026 will include 11 events:

• Men big air
• Women big air
• Men halfpipe
• Women halfpipe
• Men slopestyle
• Women slopestyle
• Men parallel giant slalom
• Women parallel giant slalom
• Men cross
• Women cross
• Mixed team snowboard cross

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from 6 to 22 February 2026.

Olympic champions in snowboard from the last Olympic Winter Games

Men big air

• 🥇 Gold: Su Yiming (CHN)
• 🥈 Silver: Mons Roisland (NOR)
• 🥉 Bronze: Max Parrot (CAN)

Women big air

• 🥇 Gold: Anna Gasser (AUT)
• 🥈 Silver: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL)
• 🥉 Bronze: Murase Kokomo (JPN)

Men halfpipe

• 🥇 Gold: Hirano Ayumu (JPN)
• 🥈 Silver: Scotty James (AUS)
• 🥉 Bronze: Jan Scherrer (SUI)

Women halfpipe

• 🥇 Gold: Chloe Kim (USA)
• 🥈 Silver: Queralt Castellet (ESP)
• 🥉 Bronze: Sena Tomita (JPN)

Men slopestyle

• 🥇 Gold: Max Parrot (CAN)
• 🥈 Silver: Su Yiming (CHN)
• 🥉 Bronze: Mark McMorris (CAN)

Women slopestyle

• 🥇 Gold: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL)
• 🥈 Silver: Julia Marino (USA)
• 🥉 Bronze: Tess Coady (AUS)

Men parallel giant slalom

• 🥇 Gold: Benjamin Karl (AUT)
• 🥈 Silver: Tim Mastnak (SLO)
• 🥉 Bronze: Vic Wild (ROC)

Women parallel giant slalom

• 🥇 Gold: Ester Ledecká (CZE)
• 🥈 Silver: Daniela Ulbing (AUT)
• 🥉 Bronze: Gloria Kotnik (SLO)

Men cross

• 🥇 Gold: Alessandro Hämmerle (AUT)
• 🥈 Silver: Éliot Grondin (CAN)
• 🥉 Bronze: Omar Visintin (ITA)

Women cross

• 🥇 Gold: Lindsey Jacobellis (USA)
• 🥈 Silver: Chloé Trespeuch (FRA)
• 🥉 Bronze: Meryeta O’Dine (CAN)

Mixed team cross

• 🥇 Gold: United States
• 🥈 Silver: Italy
• 🥉 Bronze: Canada

As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Milano Cortina Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Milano Cortina 2026.