\t Figure skater Mariia Seniuk is slated to be Israel\u2019s flagbearer at the Milan opening ceremony on Friday, while skeleton athlete Jared Firestone will have the same honor at the simultaneous Cortina ceremony. The cities are more than a 4-hour drive apart, and the sporting events are split between the two locations.<\/p>\n Unlike at the Summer Games, Israel is not likely to face any drama relating to athletes from hostile countries backing out of matches or refusing to shake hands. None of the sports Israel will be competing in \u2014 nor the vast majority of the Winter Olympics disciplines \u2014 involve head-to-head matchups.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at the 10 athletes representing Israel at this year\u2019s Games:<\/p>\n Mariia Seniuk<\/p>\n Mariia Seniuk, 20, Israel\u2019s only figure skater at this year\u2019s games, will be making her Olympic debut.<\/p>\n Born in Moscow, Seniuk has been skating since age 4, and moved with her family to Israel at age 8. In recent years, she has returned to Moscow to enable her to train on the highest level, due to limited infrastructure in Israel.<\/p>\n \t But Seniuk said she remains proud to compete under the Israeli flag on the world stage.<\/p>\n \u201cToday there is so much antisemitism and many negative things said about Israel, but I feel like a Jew who is very proud to represent Israel,\u201d she said in a December interview<\/a> with the Makor Rishon newspaper. \u201cWhen I\u2019m competing, I\u2019m focused on what I need to do, I\u2019m not listening to background noise \u2014 and even if there is, it doesn\u2019t affect me.\u201d<\/p>\n Seniuk has won the Israeli Figure Skating Championships for the past four years running. At the 2026 European Figure Skating Championships, she finished 21st out of 38 competitors, and at the 2025 contest, she ended up in 13th place overall.<\/p>\n Seniuk will hit the ice on February 17 for the women\u2019s short program, hoping to score high enough to advance to the women\u2019s free skating, held on February 19.<\/p>\n Bobsleigh team\u00a0<\/p>\n The little bobsleigh team that could slid in just under the wire to clinch a reallocated spot<\/a> at this year\u2019s Winter Olympics \u2014 capping off an eight-year effort for team driver AJ Edelman, who represented Israel in skeleton at the 2018 Games.<\/p>\n Edelman, 34, an American-Israeli native of Boston, will be joined in Cortina by the rest of the team he recruited from other sports to help make his bobsleigh dream a reality, after just missing out<\/a> on a spot in the 2022 Games.<\/p>\n Menachem Chen, 25, a former discus thrower, Omer Katz, 25, a former sprinter, Uri Zisman, 25, a former pole vaulter, and alternate Ward Fawarseh, 30, a former rugby player, will join Edelman in making history as they race down the icy track.<\/p>\n During a press conference last week in Tel Aviv, Zisman recalled receiving a call from Edelman out of the blue while he was traveling in India: \u201c\u2018My name is AJ, I\u2019m going to the Olympics, do you want to come with me?\u2019 And I thought, \u2018Who is this crazy guy?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Fawarseh, who would be Israel\u2019s first-ever Druze Olympic athlete if he competes, told reporters that \u201cuntil I met AJ, I didn\u2019t even know there were Winter Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n Fawarseh said that his goal is to \u201crepresent the [Druze] community, to open doors to competitive sports on a high level.\u201d His community has \u201cso many young people with huge potential\u2026 and I want to be the person who can direct them and help them, and give them the tools.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Holding back tears, an emotional Edelman \u2014 whose brother is comedian Alex Edelman<\/a> \u2014 said the team\u2019s historic qualification<\/a> for the Olympics was a personal and national dream.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout the flag, we are just the crazy people going down a mountain,\u201d he said. \u201cBut with the flag, we are something else. The dream is for all of us to achieve our own personal best, but for our country as well, and for the people we represent.\u201d<\/p>\n The team is scheduled to hit the ice on February 16 and 17 for the two-man bobsleigh heats, featuring Edelman and Chen, and on February 21 and 22 for the four-man races.<\/p>\n And yes, they\u2019ve heard your \u201cCool Runnings\u201d joke already. But they prefer \u201cShul Runnings<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Barnabas and Noa Szollos<\/p>\n For the Hungarian-Israeli skiing siblings Barnabas and Noa Szollos, Milano Cortina marks their second Olympic appearance, after both also<\/a> hit the slopes at the 2022 Beijing Games four years ago.<\/p>\n \t Barnabas (Barni), 27, will compete in four events at this year\u2019s Games, down from five in Beijing after Olympic officials dropped the individual alpine combined event. His surprise sixth-place finish<\/a> in the men\u2019s alpine combined in 2022 provided Israel with its best-ever Olympic skiing result and tied for its best-ever Winter Olympic finish in history.<\/p>\n Noa, 23, will also be competing in one fewer event than four years ago \u2014 returning for the slalom and the giant slalom, but not the Super-G.<\/p>\n At the 2022 Games, Noa finished 41st in the slalom and 34th in the super-G, but crashed out of the giant slalom. And just a few weeks ago, Noa made history by scoring Israel\u2019s first-ever World Cup points in alpine skiing while competing in the slalom in Slovenia.<\/p>\n Barni and Noa both took up skiing at a young age \u2014 along with their third sibling, Benjamin \u2014 following in the footsteps of their father, Peter Szollos, who also competed for Israel. The family lives in Hungary, and the skiing sibs train in Austria.<\/p>\n \t In an interview with the Ynet news site last month, Noa said that competing for the Jewish state \u201cwas nice to connect to Israel this way, to learn about a new culture, a new country. It was a good decision that helped us a lot\u2026 I feel very connected to my Jewish roots.\u201d<\/p>\n Barni is slated to compete in the men\u2019s downhill on February 7, the super-G on February 11, the giant slalom on February 14 and the slalom on February 16. Noa will hit the snow in the women\u2019s giant slalom on February 15 and the slalom on February 18.<\/p>\n Jared Firestone<\/p>\n Jared Firestone, 35, a native of Florida, will compete in the skeleton in Cortina following a 10-year journey<\/a> to the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n Firestone, who received Israeli citizenship in 2019, took up the sport in 2015 while in law school, thinking that his background as a runner would be a boon.<\/p>\n In 2022, he finished just three spots short of qualifying for the Beijing Winter Olympics, and not long after, he suffered an injury that kept him off the ice for months.<\/p>\n \t But after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, Firestone felt a renewed \u201cneed to get out there as soon as possible\u201d and represent Israel, he told The Times of Israel in an interview<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n During this year\u2019s Olympic qualifying season, Firestone said, \u201cI just knew it was impossible that anybody was outworking me\u2026 any second where I could be doing something to improve, I had to be taking it.\u201d<\/p>\n And mid-January, he achieved the goal, winning a spot in the 2026 Olympics for himself and Israel: \u201cI don\u2019t think it will [sink in] until I get to Cortina.\u201d<\/p>\n Firestone is slated to race on February 12 and 13 in the men\u2019s skeleton heats.<\/p>\n Attila Mihaly Kertesz<\/p>\n Attila Mihaly Kertesz, 37, a Hungarian native who lives in Thailand, is not a likely Israeli Winter Olympian.<\/p>\n But the trained veterinarian will become Israel\u2019s first-ever Olympic cross-country skier when the Games open this week.<\/p>\n \t Kertesz became Israeli in 2024 after a several-year journey to citizenship through his wife\u2019s Jewish heritage. He wanted to compete on the world stage for Israel in a bid to make history.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s historic to be the first [Israeli] cross-country skier,\u201d he told The Times of Israel in an interview<\/a> last year. \u201cI thought, OK, this is something I can give back to my nation.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he hopes to set an example for other people to pursue their dreams, no matter how outlandish.<\/p>\n \u201cI was 30 years old when I decided to do it on a competitive level,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cSo it\u2019s never too late if you have the motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kertesz will compete on February 13 in the men\u2019s 10km race.<\/p>\n Sheina Vaspi\u00a0<\/p>\n Sheina Vaspi, 24, made history in 2022 as Israel\u2019s first-ever Winter Paralympian.<\/p>\n She will be returning to the slopes this year with four more years of experience, and after the loss of her beloved cousin, Cpt. (res.) Arnon Benveniste Vaspi<\/a>, who was killed in November 2023 while fighting in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the shiva, I decided to return to training, because that\u2019s who Arnon was,\u201d she told the Ynet news site in an interview last year. \u201cHe pushed for excellence. He had a saying that stayed with me this whole time: \u2018What comes easy, goes easy. Everything takes persistence, hard work, and in the end, it pays off. Those who keep going, work hard and don\u2019t give up get results.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26022709591200-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tA small group of activists protests the participation of Israel and the US in the Milan Cortina Olympic Games as the Olympic flame glides down the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, January 22, 2026. (AP\/Luca Bruno)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25085660054540-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tMariia Seniuk of Israel performs during the women\u2019s short program at the figure skating world championships, March 26, 2025, in Boston. (AP\/Charles Krupa)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\u05e0\u05d1\u05d7\u05e8\u05ea-\u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05d1\u05e1\u05dc\u05d9\u05d9-\u05e9\u05dc-\u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s 2026 Winter Olympics bobsleigh team, clockwise from back left: Omer Katz, Ward Fawarseh, Uri Zisman, AJ Edelman, Menachem Chen and coach Itamar Shprinz. (Courtesy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25043386697469-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s Barnabas Szollos competes in a downhill run of a men\u2019s team combined event, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP\/Marco Trovati)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP23037391978316-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s Noa Szollos speeds down the course during the super-G portion of an alpine ski, women\u2019s World Championship combined race, in Meribel, France, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP\/Marco Trovati)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20250306__2203696425__v1__HighRes__2025IbsfWorldChampionshipsDayOne1-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tJared Firestone of Israel competes during the men\u2019s skeleton race heats at the 2025 IBSF World Championships at Mt Van Hoevenberg on March 6, 2025, in Lake Placid, New York. (Al Bello\/Getty Images\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2025-12-07T000000Z_1243590697_MT1DDPMEDACTIONMG4528_RTRMADP_3_DDP-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIsraeli skier Attila Mihaly Kertesz competes in the men\u2019s 10km interval start free at the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Trondheim, Norway, December 7, 2025. (Marius Gulliksrud\/ action press via Reuters)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/000_324W8BV-2-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s Sheina Vaspi competes in the women\u2019s giant slalom standing alpine skiing event at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre in Yanqing during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games on March 11, 2022. (WANG Zhao \/ AFP)<\/p>\n