ROME — Italy has unveiled its largest Winter Olympics delegation in history, selecting 196 athletes to represent the host nation at the upcoming Milan Cortina Games commencing next week. The monumental squad, announced on Monday, surpasses the country’s previous record of 184 competitors set during the 2006 Turin Olympics—Italy’s last hosting of the Winter Games.
The team composition features 103 male and 93 female athletes, showcasing Italy’s commitment to gender balance in winter sports. The roster is headlined by multiple Olympic veterans including short track speedskating legend Arianna Fontana, Alpine skiing stars Federica Brignone, Sofia Goggia, and Giovanni Franzoni, biathlon competitor Dorothea Wierer, and defending curling mixed doubles champions Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner.
Notable age diversity characterizes the selection, with 16-year-old Alpine skier Giada D’Antonio—of Italian-Colombian-Ecuadorean heritage—representing the youngest team member. At the opposite spectrum, 45-year-old snowboarder Roland Fischnaller prepares for his seventh consecutive Olympic appearance, setting a new Italian Winter Games record while coming off his second parallel racing world title earned last year.
Fontana, aged 35, enters her sixth Olympic competition since her debut as a 15-year-old in Turin. With an impressive collection of 11 medals (2 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze) across five previous Games, she stands as Italy’s most decorated Winter Olympian.
The Alpine skiing team features exceptional longevity with 41-year-old Christof Innerhofer, 36-year-old Dominik Paris, and 35-year-old Brignone all preparing for their fifth Olympic appearances. Brignone, the reigning overall World Cup champion, has recently returned to competition following a serious crash and subsequent injuries sustained in April.
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony is scheduled for February 6, marking the commencement of Italy’s historic hosting endeavor with its unprecedented athlete representation.