Vicky Gosling, GB Snowsport Chief Executive, reflects on a year to go to Milan-Cortina

As the clock ticks over today to mark one year until the opening of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games, it’s inevitable that the world’s eyes begin to turn towards Italy and everything that a Winter Olympics brings with it.

For so many of us that work, compete, or watch sport, the Olympic Games are foundational in our views of what makes sport special. We all have iconic moments that we remember, athletes forever frozen in their moments of glory, a lodestone that reminds us of why we believe in sport’s power to change lives.

I’ve had the good fortune to work in sport for more than a decade now, initially as part of my military career, and latterly in the British high-performance system. In that time, I’ve seen the very best of sport, and made the sort of memories that last a lifetime.

People always assume that it’s medal moments that live longest in the memory. And, of course, they’re special. Dave Ryding winning the Kitzbuehel Slalom World Cup in 2022. Mia Brookes becoming snowboarding’s youngest ever World Champion in 2023. Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale taking the Team Snowboard Cross World Championship title in the same year. Jaz Taylor taking the overall Telemark Crystal Globe last season. Zoe Atkin’s Halfpipe World Cup win in Aspen last weekend.

But for me, the memories that really stick in my mind are the ones that show that the destination might not be a medal – it might be the journey itself. Quiet moments of gratitude between an athlete and their coach after the heat of competition. The determination in an athlete who falls and gets up again, to finish, to prove to themselves they can. The athlete who returns from injury stronger, or more resilient, or just with the determination to prove they can. The physio watching with pride as an athlete takes their first step back into competition after the slog of rehabilitation. The parent seeing the belief they had in their child confirmed as they reach their potential on the international stage. The behind-the-scenes administrator receiving a word of thanks from the coaches and athletes they work so hard to support. The young fan whose eyes light up as they receive a race bib from the athlete they idolise.

And that’s where my eyes turn as we embark on that 12-month countdown to Milan-Cortina.

Are we mission-focused? Of course. We set out to win and to prove that British athletes can be among the best to take to the snow at an Olympic Winter Games. But we’re also not going to let that ambition cloud our vision. Yes, we want to win, but we want to win at every step of the journey. We want every moment of each of our athletes’ progress to contain all the little victories that make sport matter. We want to show the world that we’re in the game because we love it. And yes, along the way we want to show that we can be the very best, but we want to take the country on that path with us.

So yes, there’s a year to go, and that’s significant. But it’s significant not just because we’re nearing a destination, but also because we’ve got such a rich and rewarding journey ahead of us.

Do I hope we’ll see you – all of you – in Milan-Cortina? Absolutely. But I hope we’ll see you along the way, too, because while we hope to make memories in Italy next year, I can promise you there’ll be plenty more to be made along the way.