Milan Cortina marked my first Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games as Chair of UK Sport, and what an introduction it proved to be. Experiencing both events from this vantage point was nothing short of extraordinary.
Seeing Team GB achieve our most successful Winter Olympics ever, not only in medals but also in top ten finishes, showed just how competitive we have become across so many disciplines.
I’ve spent many years around high performance sport, but watching these moments unfold in Milan sharpened my appreciation of the precision, jeopardy and composure that make winter sport so unique – and so compelling. Whether it was a skeleton run decided by fractions of a second, landing a big air run with a medal on the line, or delivering a final curling stone in a match defining moment, you could see just how fine the margins really are.
Throughout the Games, I spent time with athletes, coaches, guides, practitioners and staff from both Team GB and ParalympicsGB. I also joined colleagues from across the high performance community for meetings and engagements that showed how closely we operate as one system. Whether at the British Consulate, in discussions with partners or simply watching our teams compete, it was clear that success at this level relies on everyone playing their part.
We’ve often talked about the opportunity that comes with a Games on European soil, and the past six weeks have shown exactly why. Record digital audiences were a reminder of how strongly the Winter Games connect with the British public and how much the performances of our amazing athletes matter to people at home.
As a non alpine nation, we continue to punch well above our weight in winter sport, and there is real ambition to push those boundaries even further as we look ahead to the next European Winter Games in the French Alps in 2030.
We have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Team GB recorded 24 top ten finishes in Milan, the most in our history and ahead of traditional winter powerhouses such as Canada and Switzerland. ParalympicsGB fielded a young team full of debutants whose experience will only strengthen their medal chances in 2030 and beyond.
It was also fantastic to see so many of our Olympians come through UK Sport talent identification programmes. And after more than 5,000 people rushed to sign up to the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association’s latest campaign in the wake of Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker’s golden success, it’s exciting to imagine who their performances may have inspired.
Our Paralympians broke new ground too. We saw Britain’s first ever female Para snowboarder compete at a Winter Paralympic Games in Nina Sparks, as well as our team taking part in the inaugural mixed wheelchair curling event. Neil Simpson, his guides and their support team also deserve enormous credit for their resilience in finishing a challenging cycle on the Paralympic podium.
None of this progress would be possible without sustained backing from National Lottery players and the UK Government. Their support continues to strengthen our winter programmes year after year, enabling athletes from across the UK to pursue their ambitions on the biggest stage, and these Games showed once again how much those performances resonated with people at home.
Milan also made one thing clear: the world around us is moving quickly. Other nations are stepping up their investment, performance standards are rising and winter sport is shifting fast. If British athletes are to stay competitive, we must keep evolving too. That’s not just about additional funding; it’s about using the resources we have in the smartest and most effective way.
For UK Sport, that means backing our winter sports with the right expertise, being open to new approaches and ensuring our investment makes a difference where athletes feel it most. There is real momentum in British winter sport, reflected in the performances in Milan, the depth emerging through our pathways and the ambition across the system. Our job now is to make sure Milan is just the starting point.
Looking ahead, there is much to be excited about across the British sporting landscape. LA 2028 is already on the horizon, offering another opportunity for British athletes to shine on the world stage. Closer to home, the UK will host a series of major international events over the next two years, including the European Athletics Championships, the Tour de France Grand Départ and the ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup.
To all of our Olympians and Paralympians: congratulations. Your performances have lifted the nation and made us immensely proud. It has been an honour to witness your journeys up close, and we know there is so much more still to come.