The Olympic Federation of Ireland today revealed the recipients of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Scholarships, with a total pot of almost €200,000 to be distributed among eight athletes, to assist them with their preparations for the next Winter Olympic Games which takes place in Italy in 2026. The athletes represent seven different disciplines, representing a mix of experienced Olympians and up-and-coming winter athletes.
The funding for the grants is provided through the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Solidarity programme, and the scholarships are designed to offer financial support to athletes who are targeting qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The grants can be used by athletes to contribute to a wide range of items linked to performance, such as travel, competition, accommodation, coaching and medical insurance. They run from November 2023 to February 2026, and the total amount is $209,888 (USD) which is divided equally among the scholarship recipients and paid in instalments three times a year.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Scholarship recipients are:
Brendan Doyle, Skeleton (Dublin)
Claire Dooley, Dual Moguls (Brisbane/Canada/Kilkenny)
Cormac Comerford, Alpine Skiing (Dublin)
Elle Murphy, Alpine Skiing (Colorado/Dublin)
Elsa Desmond, Luge (England/Cavan/Cork)
Liam O’Brien, Speed Skating (South Korea/Sydney/Cavan)
Seamus O’Connor, Snowboard Freestyle (California/Drogheda)
Thomas Maloney Westgaard, Cross Country Skiing (Norway/Galway)
Making the announcement, Team Ireland Chef de Mission for the Milano Cortina Olympic Games, Nancy Chillingworth, said,
“We are delighted to reveal the scholarship recipients today. These grants are key in helping our winter athletes prepare for the Games, especially as they approach the qualification period for the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina which begins next year.”
