After success in Beijing, New Zealand boosts funding for winter sports

Sept 8 (Reuters) – New Zealand’s government will pour NZ$20 million ($12 million) into winter sports funding for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan, after its most successful event in Beijing.

The investment includes an additional investment of NZ$1.6 million annually over the four-year Olympic cycle, representing a more than 60% increase in funding levels in Beijing.

Snowboarder Zoe Sadowski Sinot and freestyle skier Nico Portias won the women’s slopestyle and men’s halfpipe, becoming the first Chinese to win a Winter Olympic gold medal.

Sadowski-Synnott also won a silver medal in the Big Air event.

New Zealand’s Minister of Sports, Grant Robertson, said: “New Zealand’s unprecedented success at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year reflects the emergence of many young talents across winter sports.

“This investment will support our winter sports high performance campaign, building on our development of athlete and coach pathways and wellbeing initiatives to create a facility where top winter sports and para-athletes can consistently compete at the highest level. It helps to provide

The investment will provide new support for previously unfunded sports, luge and biathlon.

After failing to win a medal at the Winter Olympics six times in a row from 1994 to 2014, New Zealand has come a long way since winning two bronze medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

2026 could be even more successful, with up-and-coming juniors garnering attention at global events.

Snow Sports NZ boss Nic Cavanagh said the increase in funding was “great”.

“This allows us to support deeper journeys while maintaining customized support for medal-earning campaigns.”

($1 = 1.6532 New Zealand Dollars)

Reported by Ian Ransom of Melbourne.Editing by Peter Rutherford

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