As the 2026 Winter Games get started, here are some of the ways Olympic athletes are stepping up to take climate action.

Athletes from around the world are in the Italian Alps for the opening of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday – including 13 sportspeople from eight African countries. Though the continent isn't associated with winter sports,

Black athletes from around the world are competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, with Team USA, Canada, Jamaica, Nigeria, Benin, Madagascar, Eritrea and Kenya all represented in various sports and disciplines.

Fourteen athletes from eight African nations are set to compete at the Winter Olympics, marking a significant increase from Beijing 2022.

Simader, Kenya’s trailblazer on snow, will compete in Alpine Skiing at her third Olympic Games, further cementing her status as the face of Kenyan winter sports. She made history at PyeongChang 2018 a

Skier Issa Laborde is ready to make his Olympic debut for Kenya after his compatriot Sabrina Simader pulled out of her own races due to financial constraints.

Over time, Black people have become more and more visible in sports they historically weren't celebrated in. Meet some of the faces!

Issa recorded a combined time of two minutes and 52.78 seconds across two runs of 1:29.57 and 1:23.21 to be placed in the 66th position overall

Two Kenyans, Sabrina Wanjiku Simader and Issa Laborde, will compete in Alpine Skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, marking Kenya's bold winter sports debut.

The Olympic Games have historically rejected Black athletes based on race, banned them for protesting, disqualified them for their natural physical attributes, and established a gatekeeping culture of anti-Blackness that often tries to keep their successes and credits at bay-but Black athletes have always persevered.

Kenya’s alpine skiing star Sabrina Simader, nicknamed the “Snow Leopard,” will miss the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 , leaving Issa Laborde as the country’s sole representative. The 27-year-old skier, who made her Olympic debut in PyeongChang 2018, had planned a comeback after retiring last July.