When Alex Astridge first clipped into a pair of skis aged three, the Olympics didn’t seem like even a remote possibility. But life has a funny way of turning something ordinary into something extraordinary. And so, the 19-year-old Alpine skier is set to don the colours of the United Arab Emirates at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. 

“It’s unreal. I’ve always been lucky enough to be part of the ‘first’ of almost everything when it comes to Alpine skiing in the UAE,” the soon-to-be teenage Olympian told The National. “But this is the first time where I’m part of, I’d say, something more.”

“This isn’t just alpine skiing. This is the entirety of not just winter sports, but it’s something for the country,” he added. “I’m doing this for my home.”

Born in Cambridge (Great Britain), Astridge has called the United Arab Emirates home since he was just six months old. He even learned to ski at the world-famous Ski Dubai resort, located inside the Mall of the Emirates. 

“I don’t think it’s as big a disadvantage as people think,” he told Press Association Sport. “There’s a lot of nations who have qualified athletes without mountains or indoor slopes.”

He’s certainly become something of a trailblazer in his home country, where snowfall is incredibly rare. Entire programs and talent pipelines have been created in hopes of facilitating his participation in the Olympic Games.

It’s an investment that’s paid dividends for the young ski nation, with Astridge and teammate Piera Hudson set to become the first athletes from the UAE to compete at the Olympic Winter Games.

And while they’ll be the only skiers from the UAE on the slopes at Milano Cortina 2026, Astridge hopes to inspire the next generation of Olympic hopefuls through his exploits in Italy.

“I want them to know that it is possible,” he said in the same interview with Press Association Sport. “It’s not just a hobby that you do until you quit.

“There’s a pathway in place for all of them and they can do it if they’re good enough. For them, skiing in the Olympics is no longer a fairytale.”