January 18 is the Wengen Men’s Slalom and Tarvisio Women’s Super G. Two dates on the World Cup but also the cut off date for those looking to qualify for the 2026 Olympic Games. The following day it will be known how many places the British men and women have secured. The qualification period has run since 1 July 2024 with the qualification requirements having been public since then.
So what do British racers need to do to be invited by the BOA to race at the Milan - Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics?
Many fans of the Olympics and British alpine ski racing will remember when each nation had four places in each discipline (Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom). Since the 2022 Winter Olympic Games the quotas have changed with the 2022 Games seeing new limits on the size of teams.
Quotas
For the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the total number of athletes for Alpine skiing is restricted to 306 across both sexes and all events, 153 for Male and 153 for female. The quotas are there to stop the major powerhouses of the sport from dominating the field at the Winter Olympic Games. Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can have a maximum of 22 athlete quota places, with a maximum of 11 men and 11 women. This is down from 14 prior to Beijing.
Why is it only 306 racers? The number is assigned by the IOC based on a complex range of factors including venue capacity, safety and field size limits, historical participation, gender equality, and total Olympic Games athlete limits.
The next question is how do these get decided?
Firstly, each nation that is a member of the IOC gets one male and one female basic quota allocation. A top-30 ranking in the World Cup Start List unlocks an extra spot, with multiple athletes in the top-30 unlocking a maximum of two additional quota spots.
After the basic quote and top-30 spots are assigned, FIS allocates the remaining places using the Olympic Quota Allocation List, or OQAL, a global ranking by FIS points built from each athlete’s two best events during the qualification period. OQAL spots are awarded nation-by-nation as FIS ‘walks down’ the list until the cap is reached, with an athlete’s nation being skipped is their allocation is already full (11 per gender).
Finally, if allocated spots are unconfirmed or declined by their NOC, these spots are offered as ‘hand back’ allocations again under the OQAL order. For British athletes, acceptance of hand back spots is at the exclusive discretion of the British Olympic Association.”
To give an example:
- If only Dave Ryding is in the top-30, GB would receive our one basic quota spot plus one top-30 quota spot (giving us two spots)
- If Dave plus either Billy or Laurie are in the top-30, we retain our one basic quota spot plus two top-30 quota spots giving us a total of three
- If all three are in the top-30, we still only hold three quota spots because the top-30 list unlocks a maximum of two additional quota spots. Any potential fourth spot would only be unlocked via the Olympic Quota Allocation List (e.g., the factor that comes in prior to hand back allocations)
Criteria
For British athletes to be considered for selection to the quota places, they need to have achieved criteria set out by the BOA in consultation with GB Snowsport. The results required are as follows:
Two top thirty results in the World Cup or World Championships. All three of the Men’s Slalom team have made this but until after the Wengen slalom and their positions in the WCSL list are fixed, the number of places are not definite.
On January 19, the day after the qualification period ends, GB Snowsport will submit its list of racers that it feels have met the criteria for the number of places that the athletes have earned. This list will be submitted to the British Olympic Association. The BOA have the final say on team selection.
Currently, December 2025, all three men in the Slalom team are in the top 30 of the WCSL meaning all three are in the qualification spots. This can change with the races at Val d’Isere, Adelboden, Alta Badia, Madonna di Campiglio, and Wengen still to come in Slalom.
In the speed events Roy Steudle has one top thirty result, 29th in the Super G at the World Championships, that goes towards his meeting the qualification criteria. With Super G races in Beaver Creak, Val Gardena, Livigno and Wengen still on the programme, another result in the top 30 would help his case.
Can you make criteria and still not go?
Getting the results does not secure you a ticket to the Olympics. No matter if you have made criteria, it must be noted that it is the National Olympic Committee who decide goes to the Games. Athletes don’t qualify their own spots, only open them up to nations to select - under the agreed GBS/BOA process, the selection panel has complete jurisdiction to nominate whichever athletes they feel are the best selection so long as decisions are compliant with the relevant Selection policy. So despite meeting the criteria in getting two results in the qualification period, if the athlete has not forced their way into the top 30 and created another place in the quotas, they could still miss out.
Is it all about securing a place through the World Cup? Primarily yes but there is a second level of results that can help the athletes case. If you finish in the top ten of a Europa Cup race, this is also a qualifying mark. …so long as no other athlete has hit the primary criteria, and there are quota spots unfilled.
For both Vici Palla and Reece Bell, they finished 23rd and 20th respectively, last season in Saalbach at the World Championships in Slalom. This is one of the races that helps for their qualification criteria. Both now need to get a second result, either a top 30 in the World Cup or a top 10 in a Europa Cup, to reach qualification standard. Without this they do not meet the British Olympic Association qualification requirements. While Great Britain will have one female spot at the moment, no racer has as yet reached the selection criteria.
Racers from all nations still have to meet FIS standards of sub 80 FIS points in speed and 160 in tech events to race.
What about the Team event?
It is unlikely that Britain will have a team in the Combined event at the Olympics due to the qualifying criteria. Athletes need to have qualified in their own event for them to be selected. The team combined is making its debut at the Olympics. There is both a Male and Female Combined event that will take on the same format as of that at the last World Championships, one Super G run and one Slalom run.
Dates
What are the key date for announcing the team to go to Milan-Cortina?
- 19th-20th January, 2026, NOCs confirm the use of their allocated quota places.
- 21-22nd January, 2026, FIS reallocates all unused quota places.
- Hand back spots will be discussed in the Olympic Selection Panel meeting on 19th January and communications will be sent to all potential athletes.
Real time position regarding quotas
FIS have produced a useful link to see where each nations stands after each race in terms of quota spots:
For just Great Britain: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/v2/quota/list/owg/al/2026?nationCode=GBR
For all nations: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/v2/quota/list/owg/al/2026
This is always a stressful time for athletes still looking to qualify for the opportunity to represent their country at the Olympics. There’s not only the pressure of competition but the added drama of lifetime expectations and extra media attention.
At the end of the day it is the BOA that will invite racers to be part of the event, not GB Snowsport.