13 British skiers and snowboarders, competing across five disiciplines, will represent Team GB at the 2023 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival

The British Olympic Association has today confirmed that 13 ski and snowboard athletes will travel to Friuli-Venezia Giulia as part of an 18 athlete Team GB to compete at the 2023 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival.

Six Alpine skiers, one Ski Cross athlete, one Freeskier, three Freestyle Snowboarders, one Snowboard Cross athlete and one Alpine Snowboarder will compete in the Festival’s snowsport disciplines against 14-18 year old athletes from almost 40 countries in one of the largest youth winter sport gatherings in the world.

EYOFs play an important role in the development of young British athletes, providing crucial multi-sport event experience and guiding them towards realising their Olympic ambitions.

Italy will become the first nation to host the event twice, 30 years after staging the inaugural Winter EYOF in Aosta in 1993. The competition will take place across the northern Italian territory of Friuli-Venezia Giulia as well as neighbouring regions in Austria and Slovenia, with over 2,000 atheltes from 40 nations expected to participate.

This year’s British delegation will follow in the footsteps of Katie Summerhayes, Chemmy Alcott, Kirsty Muir and many others who represented Team GB at youth events before going on to compete at a senior Olympic Winter Games.

Many of the young athletes selected for Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2023 have ambitions to do the same, and with the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games drawing closer, the Winter EYOF offers a valuable opportunity to build their confidence when competing on the international stage.

Pete Ambrose, Team GB Chef de Mission for Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2023, said:

“It is a huge honour to be the Chef de Mission and lead Team GB in Friuli Venezia Giulia. It will be the first time many of our young athletes experience the Olympic movement and is an invaluable opportunity for them to develop in an international competition of this level.

“While it may be many of the athletes’ first exposure to a multi-sport event environment, Team GB has a great history of youth athletes taking part in an EYOF and going on to become senior Olympians and medallists, so it will be great to help them use it as a foundation for future Games. It is a really exciting time to be a part of British winter sport.”

Olivia Howeson, said:

“I’ve been training hard in the run up to EYOF and have been really enjoying it, it makes me very excited for the Games and I’m looking forward to seeing how I can perform. It feels amazing to be able to represent my country, it’s always been a dream of mine and I’m very proud to be able to race for Team GB.”

Charlotte Holmes, said:

“I’m really excited to put what I’ve been doing in training on the big stage. It’s something I’ve been working towards over the past few years and to be able to do it with my teammates and meet new people is going to be really special.”

Snowsport Discipline Athletes Selected:

Alpine

• Olivia Howeson (16, Welwyn Garden City)
• Charlotte Holmes (17, Burnley)
• Molly Butler (16, Guildford)
• George Black (17, Bury St Edmunds)
• Jack Irving (17, Carol Springs)
• Luca Carrick-Smith (17, Edinburgh)

Freestyle Skiing

• Bailey Webster (16, Castleford)

Freestyle Snowboard (Slopestyle and Big Air)

• Charlie Lane (15, Brighton)
• Teiva Hamaini (15, Gibraltar)
• Amber Fennell (15, Dudley)

Ski Cross

• Jake Dade (16, Great Yarmouth)

Alpine Snowboard

• Samuel Carpenter (16, High Wycombe)

Snowboard Cross

• Mackenzie Patrick (17, Frimley)

Header Image: Olivia Howeson. Photo Credit: Racer Ready.