Australian Team Finalised For Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games

Australia’s team for the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games sets new benchmarks across representation, performance and cultural significance.

The team of 14 athletes, including two sighted guides, was finalised by Paralympics Australia with the announcement of the Para alpine skiing squad at a ceremony in northern Italy on Friday night (AEDT). The squads for Para Nordic skiing and Para snowboard were named over the previous two nights.

It culminates in Australia’s second-largest team in the Paralympic Winter Games’ 50-year history, one less than the 15 who competed at PyeongChang 2018, and includes a range of records and firsts, including:

• Australia’s first Indigenous Winter Paralympian
• Australia’s youngest female Winter Paralympian
• Australia’s oldest Winter Paralympian
• Australia’s representation in a record number of sports.

Chef de Mission Ben Troy said this was an Australian Paralympic Team well worthy of the nation’s support.

“I’m incredibly proud of the way this team has come together,” Troy said.

“For Australians to compete and qualify for the Paralympic Games in winter sports is extremely challenging. It requires huge amounts of travelling and time away from home, and consistently high performance in often very difficult circumstances.

“This team is the result of years of extremely hard work and commitment by the athletes and their support networks. I want to sincerely thank Snow Australia, Biathlon Australia and everyone at Paralympics Australia who has played a role in developing, supporting and delivering this team to Milano Cortina. Our team is ready and raring to go and to make the most of this incredible opportunity they’ve earned.”

The Australian team will compete in a record four sports: Para alpine skiing, Para snowboard, Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing, one more than at the Torino 2006 Games when Australia was represented in Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing.

The team is captained by Para snowboarder Sean Pollard, who represented Australia at PyeongChang 2018.

Dave Miln, Matt Brumby, Lauren Parker, and Taryn Dickens and her sighted guide Lynn Cullen will compete in Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing, marking Australia’s return to the disciplines collectively known as the Para Nordic sports for the first time in two decades.

By competing at the Winter Paralympics, Parker will become just the eighth Australian dual Summer-Winter Paralympian. Parker will be joined in the exclusive club by Para snowboarder Amanda Reid, who – like Parker – is a Summer Games gold medallist now set for her Winter Paralympics debut.

Of great significance, Reid, one of 16 known Indigenous Australian Paralympians, will become Australia’s first Indigenous Australian Winter Paralympian.

The third team member in the exclusive Summer-Winter club is Para alpine skier Michael Milton, who will complete an extraordinary comeback to elite level competition after last competing for Australia at the Winter Paralympics in 2006. Milton announced last October his intention to make the team for Milano Cortina and has earned selection with his results on the World Cup circuit.

Milton will become Australia’s oldest ever Winter Paralympian, aged 52 yrs and 350 days when the Games opens on March 6. He will also break the record for the longest Australian Paralympic comeback, 6,383 days after he last represented Australia on the ski slopes at Torino 2006.

At the other end of the scale, Para alpine skier Liana France will become Australia’s youngest female Winter Paralympian, aged 16 yrs and 211 days when the Games opens on March 6. France will break the current record held by Para alpine skier Melissa Perrine, who is part of the 2026 Australian team in her profession as a physiotherapist.

France is one of eight athletes, including the two sighted guides, who will make their Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026: the debutants are France, Georgia Gunew, Aaron McCarthy, Dave Miln, Taryn Dickens, Matt Brumby, Lynn Cullen (guide) and Ethan Jackson (guide).

The team features athletes from NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT. Para biathlete Brumby lives in South Australia but hails from Tasmania. Reid, too, lives in South Australia but hails from NSW.

Six athletes on the team were identified or supported through Paralympics Australia pathway programs, including Talent Search, Get Involved and the Pathway Academy Program.

Athletes across each sport received equipment and performance support through the Para Sport Equipment Enhancement Program and Para Barriers Grant, reinforcing the systems that underpin Australian Paralympic success.

“This team simply would not be here without the incredible support of a range of people and organisations,” Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Cameron Murray said.

“At the top of that list is the Federal Government, particularly the Minister for Sport Anika Wells, who not only believes in our athletes but also the power of Paralympic sport to inspire all Australians.

“We also thank the Australian Sports Commission, headed by CEO Kieren Perkins, and the Australian Institute of Sport for their strong backing all the way to Milano Cortina, as well as Paralympics Australia’s member organisations Snow Australia and Biathlon Australia for their collaboration and support.

“Equally important has been the consistent backing of our incredible commercial partners and the many thousands of regular Australians who invest in our athletes by donating to Paralympics Australia, helping us to deliver teams to the Paralympic Games and run various programs that create opportunities for athletes with a disability to realise their dreams.”

Milano Cortina 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Winter Games. Australia has participated at every edition. Milano Cortina will feature some 665 athletes from 50 nations competing across six sports in 79 medal events.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games begins on March 6. Every moment will be broadcast live and free across Channel 9, 9Now and Stan Sport.

The Australian Paralympic Team is (events in brackets):

Para Alpine Skiing

Josh Hanlon: Men’s Alpine Combined Sitting, Men’s Downhill Sitting, Men’s Giant Slalom Sitting, Men’s Slalom Sitting, Men’s Super-G Sitting
Michael Milton: Men’s Giant Slalom Standing, Men’s Slalom Standing
Liana France: Women’s Giant Slalom Standing, Women’s Slalom Standing
Georgia Gunew (Guide: Ethan Jackson): Women’s Giant Slalom VI, Women’s Slalom VI

Para Biathlon

Matt Brumby: Men’s Individual Sitting, Men’s Sprint Pursuit Sitting, Men’s Sprint Sitting
Dave Miln: Men’s Individual Sitting, Men’s Sprint Pursuit Sitting, Men’s Sprint Sitting
Lauren Parker: Women’s Individual Sitting, Women’s Sprint Pursuit Sitting, Women’s Sprint Sitting
Taryn Dickens (Guide: Lynn Maree Cullen): Women’s Individual VI, Women’s Sprint Pursuit Vision Impaired, Women’s Sprint Vision Impaired

Para Cross Country:

Matt Brumby: Men’s 10km Interval Start Sitting, Men’s 20km Interval Start Sitting, Men’s Sprint Sitting
Dave Miln: Men’s 10km Interval Start Sitting, Men’s 20km Interval Start Sitting, Men’s Sprint Sitting
Lauren Parker: Women’s 10km Interval Start Sitting, Women’s 20km Interval Start Sitting, Women’s Sprint Sitting
Taryn Dickens (Guide: Lynn Maree Cullen): Women’s 10km Interval Start Classic VI, Women’s 20km Interval Start Free VI, Women’s Sprint Classic Vision Impaired
Team Event: 4 x 2.5km Relay Mixed Team

Para Snowboard:

Aaron McCarthy: Men’s Banked Slalom SB-LL1, Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL1
Sean Pollard: Men’s Banked Slalom SB-UL, Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-UL
Ben Tudhope: Men’s Banked Slalom SB-LL2, Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2
Amanda Reid: Women’s Banked Slalom SB-LL2, Women’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2

2026 Australian Paralympic Winter Team FAST FACTS:

• Australia will be represented in four of the six sports contested at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games: Para alpine skiing, Para snowboarding, Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing. At Beijing 2022, Australia was represented by 10 athletes in Para alpine skiing and Para snowboarding.
• Paralympics Australia will send a team of 14 athletes, including two sighted guides.
• Of the 14 athletes, eight are male and six are female. One sighted guide is female and one is male.
• Lauren Parker and Amanda Reid will become the eighth and ninth Australian athletes, respectively, to compete at both the Winter and Summer Paralympic Games. Both are gold medallists, Reid in Para cycling and Parker in Para triathlon and Para cycling.
• Amanda Reid will become Australia’s first Indigenous Winter Paralympian. Amanda is one of 16 known Indigenous Australians to have competed at the Summer Paralympic Games.
• Eight athletes, including two sighted guides, will make their Winter Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026. They are Liana France, Georgia Gunew, Aaron McCarthy, Dave Miln, Taryn Dickens, Matthew Brumby, Lynn Maree Cullen (guide), Ethan Jackson (guide).
• The average age of the team is 34.7 years. The average age of the male athletes is 35.5 years and the average age of the female athletes is 33.8 years.
• The oldest athlete on the team is Michael Milton, who will be 52 yrs and 350 days when the Games opens on March 6. Michael will become the oldest Australian Winter Paralympian overtaking Dominic Monypenny who was 49 years and 163 days in his last event at the Vancouver 2010 Games, the men’s 1km cross-country sprint sitting qualification round.
• Aged 16 yrs and 211 days when the Games opens on March 6, Liana France will become the youngest female Australian Winter Paralympian, replacing Melissa Perrine who was 22 years and 21 days when she competed in the women’s Para alpine slalom vision impaired event at Vancouver 2010.
• Australia’s youngest ever Winter Paralympian is Ben Tudhope, who was 14 years and 84 days on his Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014. Milano Cortina 2026, Ben’s fourth Games, will be his first in which he is not be the team’s youngest athlete.
• Taryn Dickens will become Australia’s oldest female Winter Paralympian at 43 years and 277 days when Games opens on March 6, overtaking Melissa Perrine who was 34 years and 19 days in her last event at the Beijing 2022 Games, the women’s Para alpine slalom vision impaired.
• The oldest competition partner will be Lynn Maree Cullen at 55 yrs and 121 days, when she competes as Taryn Dickens’ sighted guide.
• The most experienced team member is Michael Milton who will compete at his sixth Paralympic Winter Games and seventh overall with one Summer Games in Beijing 2008 in Para cycling.
• Michael Milton will break the record for the longest ever Australian Paralympic comeback. On the day of Games Opening on March 6, it will have been 6,383 days since he last competed at a Paralympic Games, in the men’s Para cycling road race LC3-4/CP3 event on September 13, 2008. It will be 7,293 days since he last competed at the Winter Paralympic Games, in the men’s Para alpine skiing slalom standing event on March 18, 2006. Previously, the longest ever Australian comeback was was held by Eliza Stankovic-Mowle, who competed in the women’s 100m T54 heats at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on September 1, 2021. Eliza had competed 6,183 days earlier in the women’s 200m T54 final at the Athens 2004 Games on September 27, 2004.

By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia

Published: 1 March 2026