The wait is finally over for Team GB’s athletes as they get set to compete against the worlds best at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
The eyes of the world will be on Italy where around 2,800 athletes will compete for 90 countries across 19 days of competition.
There will be 18 Scottish athletes competing for Team GB among them. The number has stayed fairly consistent across the last five Winter Olympic Games. The record number of Scottish athletes to compete at a Winter Games is 19, that has been the size of the Scottish contingent in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
All 10 of the Team GB curlers are Scottish, 5 Scottish snowsport athletes will compete for Team GB (25% of the total squad) and 3 of the 8 Team GB figure skaters are from the Scottish pathway (38%).
Team Mouat will be aiming to improve on the silver medal they won in Beijing in 2022. They have retained the same lineup from four years ago with Bruce Mouat, Bobby Lammie, Hammy McMillan and Grant Hardie returning and alternate Kyle Waddell making his Olympic return after competing in Pyeongchang in 2018.
As the number one team in the world ranking and reigning world champions, the team haven’t been afraid to say that gold is the only result they’d be happy with. Bruce Mouat will also compete in the mixed doubles alongside gold medalist in 2022, Jen Dodds.
Dodds will form part of Team Morrison in the women’s event alongside skip Rebecca Morrison, Sophie Sinclair, Sophie Jackson and Fay Henderson.
In snowsport, freestyle skier Kirsty Muir will compete in her second Winter Olympics. At 17, she was Team GB’s youngest athlete in Beijing. Since then, she has contended with a serious knee injury and shoulder surgery. But a number of impressive results, including her first X Games gold two weeks before Milano Cortina, in have put her in a good place for Milano Cortina.
Chris McCormick also joins the park and pipe team on his Olympic debut. In cross country Anna Pryce will also make her Olympic debut. James Clugent makes his second Games and veteran Andrew Musgrave will incredibly compete at his fifth consecutive Olympics.
In figure skating Lewis Gibson will take to the ice for his second Olympic appearance while Luke Digby and Anastasia Vaipan-Law will make their debuts.
Nearly all of the 18 athletes have been supported on their journey by the sportscotland institute of sport and its team of experts.
And as the Scots taking part prepare for action, Chief Executive of sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop, and Sport Minister Maree Todd, wished them the best of luck ahead of the of sporting action.
Forbes Dunlop said: “To be selected to compete at a Winter Olympic Games is a remarkable achievement and is a result of years of hard work, skill, dedication and commitment, a huge congratulation to the 18 athletes who have achieved something really special.
“To get to this stage requires a huge team effort and so many of our athletes are lucky to be supported by a fantastic team at the sportscotland Institute of Sport, their governing bodies of sport, the National Lottery and of course their families and support groups.
“On behalf of sportscotland I want to wish all the Team GB athletes the very best of luck. It is their time to shine, I know they will do us proud.”
Sport Minister Maree Todd said: “Competing at the Winter Olympic Games is an extraordinary achievement, made possible only through years of hard work, resilience, and unshakeable belief in what is possible.
“Our Scottish athletes have shown all of this and more on their journey to Milano Cortina, reflecting the strength of Scotland’s sporting pathways—from grassroots participation and talent development, to world class coaching and expert support.
“As they take to the world stage, they carry with them the pride of their communities, the strength of their support teams, and the encouragement of everyone cheering from home. I wish each of them the very best of luck and every success at these Games.”
The full list of Scottish athletes is:
Curling
Men’s (Team Mouat)
Bruce Mouat
Grant Hardie
Hammy McMillan
Bobby Lammie
Kyle Waddell
Women’s (Team Morrison)
Rebecca Morrison
Sophie Sinclair
Sophie Jackson
Jennifer Dodds
Fay Henderson
Figure skating
Luke Digby
Anastasia Vaipan-Law
Lewis Gibson
Snowsport
Kirsty Muir
Chris McCormick
James Clugnet
Andrew Musgrave
Anna Pryce
