Australia had its best performance ever, winning three gold, two silver and a bronze.
In the Paralympics Australia won one silver and one bronze.
A lot of people around the world are a bit surprised that the ‘sunburnt country’ would even be participating.
The primary Australian Winter Olympics training facility is the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre at the Sleeman Sports Complex in Brisbane, Queensland. A lot of people around the world are a bit surprised that the ‘sunburnt country’ would even be participating.
Do we even have snow?
Ski resorts are primarily located in the New South Wales (NSW) Snowy Mountains and the Victorian Alps, operating during the Southern Hemisphere winter (June to October).
Key resorts include the massive, multi-area Perisher and steep-terrain Thredbo in NSW, alongside Victoria’s Mount Hotham, Falls Creek, and Mount Buller.
Australia first competed in the Winter Olympic Games in 1936 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and has participated in every games since, with the exception of the 1948 Games in St. Moritz.
In the early years, Australia's athletes did poorly with only two athletes placed in the top half of their events before 1976.
Australia won its first medal, a bronze, in 1994 in the men's 5,000 metres short track relay speed skating event. Zali Steggall gained Australia's first individual medal in 1998, when she won bronze in the slalom event.
Australia won its first medal, a bronze, in 1994 in the men's 5,000 metres short track relay speed skating event. Zali Steggall gained Australia's first individual medal in 1998, when she won bronze in the slalom event.
In 2002, Steven Bradbury won the 1,000 metres short track speed skating and Alisa Camplin won the aerials event, making Australia the only southern hemisphere country to have won a gold medal at a Winter Olympics until 2022.
The Bradbury medal is an epic moment in the history of Australian sport and has achieved immortality by spawning the phrase in the local vernacular ‘doing a Bradbury’.
Opened in 2020, this world-class venue allows freestyle skiers (aerials/moguls) to train year-round, featuring a 37-metre high steel structure with seven jump ramps landing into a heated water pool.
The National Snowsports Training Centre in Jindabyne offers high-performance gyms, acrobatic centres and airbag training for ski and snowboarders.
Perisher and Thredbo Resorts have on-snow training bases.
Buller Air Zone located at Mt Buller, offering trampolines and airbags for aerial training.
AIS European Training Centre (Italy) located near Milan serves as a vital base for athletes during the European season.
Perisher and Thredbo Resorts have on-snow training bases.
Buller Air Zone located at Mt Buller, offering trampolines and airbags for aerial training.
AIS European Training Centre (Italy) located near Milan serves as a vital base for athletes during the European season.
Australia is very serious about their winter sport’s success.
