Samsung Electronics, a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, today unveiled a new roster of Team Samsung Galaxy athletes for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The new team brings together 68 athletes across 17 countries, representing both Olympic and Paralympic sports. Each member of Team Samsung Galaxy was selected for their personal journey — one that embodies openness both on and off the field of play.
Bringing “Open always wins” to the Road to Milano Cortina 2026
The athletes will share their journeys on the road to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and help deliver Samsung’s central message for Milano Cortina 2026, “Open always wins.” First introduced at Paris 2024, the theme returns to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as a reflection of Samsung’s belief that, with an open mind, anything is possible. Team Samsung Galaxy will deliver this message to fans around the world by sharing personal stories that reflect how openness guides their lives and careers.
“Athletes and fans are at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Samsung is proud to help bring them closer together and make moments more connected — from how athletes share their journeys to how fans experience the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Sophia Kim, VP and Head of Experience Marketing Group, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “Together with Team Samsung Galaxy, we will open up new perspectives and infinite possibilities throughout the Games, that is our message ‘Open always wins’ to the fans and communities.”
Athletes Who Bring Openness to Life
With a strong presence across nine key disciplines — including snowboarding, speed skating, skiing, bobsleigh and cross-country skiing — sports that embody creativity, expression and performance under pressure, the Team Samsung Galaxy roster represents the diversity of winter sports.
For Milano Cortina 2026, Team Samsung Galaxy includes Olympic freestyle skiing champion Alex Hall (USA), freestyle skier siblings Miro and Flora Tabanelli (ITA), an innovative performer of world-first snowboarding tricks Ian Matteoli (ITA), multiple-time short track speed skating World Champion and Olympic medalist Minjeong Choi (KOR), Freestyle skiing World Champion Zoe Atkin (GB) and two-time snowboarding Olympic gold medalist Anna Gasser (AUT). In alpine skiing, Arthur Bauchet (FRA) holds multiple Paralympic and World Championship titles, while Adam Žampa (SVK) brings depth of experience on the international stage. Team Samsung Galaxy for Milano Cortina 2026 also boasts figure skating elites including World Champion Alysa Liu (USA) and two-time World Champion Ilia Malinin (USA).
Across sports and borders, each Team Samsung Galaxy athlete brings the spirit of openness to life in their own personal way. Shaped by their creativity, resilience and a willingness to explore what’s possible, their journeys extend beyond competition to inspire fans around the world — demonstrating how an open mindset can influence not only performance but everyday life, on and off the road to Milano Cortina 2026.
For Ian Matteoli, openness is expressed through bold creativity. One of Italy’s brightest young snowboarders, he made history as the first rider to land a frontside 2160 in competition — a moment that showcased both technical mastery and an open, fearless approach to progression. Raised in a snowboarding family, his journey has been shaped by a determined comeback from serious injury fighting his way back to top form. As part of a generation that views the sport as both performance and lifestyle, Ian bridges snowboarding and skateboarding, carrying an open mindset as he represents his country at Milano Cortina 2026.
“Snowboarding has always been part of my life as more than just a sport. It’s a way of expressing who I am,” said Ian. “After my injury, I changed how I approached snowboarding and life, pushing myself to come back stronger, more creative and more connected to why I love this sport. Representing Italy on home soil is incredibly special, and having the support of Samsung motivates me to keep pushing creatively.”
For Mike Schultz, openness is expressed through reinvention and resilience. After a life-changing accident, he rebuilt his athletic journey by staying open to new ways of thinking, training and creating — transforming challenges into opportunity by engineering his own prosthetic to return to elite competition. Through an open mindset grounded in creativity and adaptability, Mike continues to evolve his approach to performance and recovery, winning three Paralympic medals and multiple World Championship titles. His story shows how openness can turn adversity into purposeful progress.
“If it wasn’t for creativity, I wouldn’t be where I am today. After my accident, I had to completely reimagine how I trained and recovered. Staying open to new ideas and using technology to better understand my body helped me rebuild with confidence,” said Mike. “It’s surreal to be part of Team Samsung Galaxy, given how tools like digital health platform have supported my progress, allowing me to train smarter and keep moving forward as an athlete.”
Alex Hall diversified his career path by establishing a ski film brand that documents urban and backcountry skiing. Raised in Zurich before moving to Park City, he grew up across two continents and brings a global perspective to freestyle skiing that blends technical precision with artistic expression. Off the slopes, his pioneering mindset carries over into filmmaking, where he draws inspiration for his new tricks while avoiding mental fatigue. His ability to blend sports, art and storytelling makes him one of the most creative voices in freestyle skiing today.
“I’m proud to be part of Team Samsung Galaxy and represent a brand that brings athletes and communities together on a global scale,” said Alex. “To me, there are no limits in sports. Everyone can express themselves in their own way, and Samsung empowers us to do this on and off the snow with its technology.”
Minjeong Choi expresses openness by inspiring young short track speed skaters through her own experiences. As a double Olympic champion in Women’s 1,500m and multiple world record holder in speed skating, her story of sustained excellence under pressure — and a constant willingness to evolve — opens up new perspectives for future generations. Admired for her leadership, her passion to continuously adjust, learn and lead reflects how openness fuels longevity and performance as an elite athlete.
“I’m happy to rejoin Team Samsung Galaxy after the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” said Minjeong. “Team Samsung Galaxy has always inspired people to open up more possibilities through sport. At the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, I will continue creating a positive impact with Team Samsung Galaxy.”
Continuing the Journey to Milano Cortina 2026
With Team Samsung Galaxy, Samsung reaffirms its long-standing commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. As the world looks ahead to Milano Cortina 2026, Samsung will spotlight authentic athlete stories that go beyond results alone — reinforcing openness as a value that connects athletes, fans and communities around the world through technology. Additional information on “Open always wins” and Samsung’s support for the Olympic Winter Games will be released as the Road to Milano Cortina 2026 continues.
Team Samsung Galaxy for Milano Cortina 2026:
Zoe Atkin (United Kingdom), Freestyle Skiing
Amedeo Bagnis (Italy), Skeleton
Corrado Barbera (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Elia Barp (Italy), Cross-country Skiing
Marta Bassino (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Arthur Bauchet (France), Para Alpine Skiing
Giacomo Bertagnolli (Italy), Para Alpine Skiing
Federica Brignone (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Gaon Choi (South Korea), Snowboard
Minjeong Choi (South Korea), Short Track Speed Skating
Giorgia Collomb (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Stefania Constantini (Italy), Curling
Elena Curtoni (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Renè de Silvestro (Italy), Para Alpine Skiing
Lara Della Mea (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Simone Deromedis (Italy), Freestyle Skiing
Leonardo Donaggio (Italy), Freestyle Skiing
Roland Fischnaller (Italy), Snowboard
Arianna Fontana (Italy), Short Track Speed Skating
Loris Framarin (Italy), Snowboard
Giovanni Franzoni (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Ralfs Freibergs (Latvia), Ice Hockey
Jole Galli (Italy), Freestyle Skiing
Anna Gasser (Austria), Snowboard
David Ghiotto (Italy), Speed Skating
Tommaso Giacomel (Italy), Biathlon
Renārs Grantiņš (Latvia), Bobsleigh
Daniel Grassl (Italy), Figure Skating
Alex Hall (United States), Freestyle Skiing
Jakub Hroneš (Czech Republic), Snowboard
Daeheon Hwang (South Korea), Short Track Speed Skating
Alex Insam (Italy), Ski Jumping
Gilli Kim (South Korea), Short Track Speed Skating
Marcus Kleveland (Norway), Snowboard
Tess Ledeux (France), Freestyle Skiing
Alysa Liu (United States), Figure Skating
Nicola Liviero (Italy), Snowboard
Zrinka Ljutić (Croatia), Alpine Skiing
Jacopo Luchini (Italy), Para Snowboard
Ilia Malinin (United States), Figure Skating
Valentina Margaglio (Italy), Skeleton
Ian Matteoli (Italy), Snowboard
Txema Mazet-Brown (United Kingdom), Snowboard
Annika Morgan (Germany), Snowboard
Dominik Paris (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Anna Pezzetta (Italy), Figure Skating
Federico Pellegrino (Italy), Cross-country Skiing
Emanuel Perathoner (Italy), Snowboard
Manon Petit-Lenoir (France), Snowboard
Laura Pirovano (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Sára Pónya (Hungary), Cross-country Skiing
Jongun Rim (South Korea), Short Track Speed Skating
Matteo Rizzo (Italy), Figure Skating
Marta Rossetti (Italy), Alpine Skiing
Suzanne Schulting (Netherlands), Speed Skating
Mike Schultz (United States), Para Snowboard
Arianna Sighel (Italy), Short Track Speed Skating
Petro Sighel (Italy), Short Track Speed Skating
Bart Swings (Belgium), Speed Skating
Flora Tabanelli (Italy), Freestyle Skiing
Miro Tabanelli (Italy), Freestyle Skiing
Deniss Vasiļjevs (Latvia), Figure Skating
Lisa Vittozzi (Italy), Biathlon
Leon Vockensperger (Germany), Snowboard
Walter Wallberg (Sweden), Freestyle Skiing
Dorothea Wierer (Italy), Biathlon
Michał Woźniak (Poland), Figure Skating
Adam Žampa (Slovakia), Alpine Skiing
About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games
Samsung has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998. For nearly 30 years, athletes and fans have trusted Samsung’s transformative mobile technology to share the Olympic spirit globally and continue to shape the digital future of the Olympic Games for Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond. The company’s commitment to the Olympic Movement soon faces its fourth decade of partnership and extends through Los Angeles 2028. Samsung’s purposeful innovations in the wireless communications and computing equipment category, including equipment that features artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and 5G will change the way the world experiences the Olympic Games.
About Samsung’s Involvement in the Paralympic Games
Samsung is a Worldwide Partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in the wireless communications and computing equipment category. Starting from Paralympic Winter Games Torino 2006, the company has proudly supported the Paralympic Movement and enabled athletes and fans around the world to share the excitement and inspiration of the Games through Samsung’s transformative mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment to the Paralympic Games will extend through to Los Angeles 2028 and be celebrated through innovative mobile and computing experiences powered by purposeful innovations in the wireless communications and computing equipment category, including equipment that features artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and 5G.