Estrategi and Hudson lead UAE’s Winter Olympics debut

The National Olympic Committee revealed the details of the UAE’s historic participation in the 26th edition of the Winter Olympics, hosted by the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina from February 6 to 22, 2026, with the participation of about 2,900 elite athletes from various countries of the world, competing for 114 sets of medals in eight sports and 16 disciplines, in a participation that marks the UAE’s first appearance in this global Olympic event.

The UAE is participating in this tournament with Alexander Streje and Bera Hodson, in the alpine skiing competitions that are held over three days as part of the competition program. The two players have a record of achievements and honorable results that have enabled them to qualify with merit and deserving to be among the elite athletes at the global level.

This came during the press conference held by the National Olympic Committee, yesterday, at its headquarters in Dubai, in the presence of the Vice President of the Emirates Winter Sports Federation, Hamel Al Qubaisi, the Director of the Technical and Sports Affairs Department of the National Olympic Committee, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, and the Chairman of the Skiing Committee of the Emirates Winter Sports Federation, Mohammed Khadem. The player, Alexander Stregi, also attended via video communication technology.

The opening ceremony will be held in four different locations simultaneously, with Alexandre Stregui carrying the UAE flag in Milan, while Bera Hodson carries the UAE flag in Cortina.

Ahmed Al-Tayeb opened the conference, stressing the importance of this historic participation, which comes as a continuation of the UAE’s long journey in the Summer Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games, and reflects the development of the national Olympic movement and the consolidation of the principle of “participation for the sake of competition” that the committee follows in its various participations at all levels.

Al-Tayeb pointed out that the UAE, thanks to the support of its wise leadership and the efforts of its loyal people, has become an active and strongly present element in international sports forums, through the advanced levels and distinguished results provided by its athletes on an ongoing basis, in addition to the honorable image and positive impressions left by national delegations, especially with regard to the application of Olympic principles and the values ​​of respect, friendship and excellence.

Al-Tayeb appreciated the efforts of the players and their preparations during the last stage, from their official qualification for the Winter Olympics for the first time, until the start of the competitions next month, through internal and external camps, advanced preparation programs, and an ambitious vision for the Emirates Winter Sports Federation, which succeeded in developing promising strategies to ensure continuity of presence in winter forums, despite the climatic nature of the country.

For his part, Vice President of the Emirates Winter Sports Federation, Hamel Al Qubaisi, said that the Emirates Winter Sports Federation is proud of the path it has made, and looks forward to seeing the team’s stars proudly representing the country on the Olympic podium, pointing out that the historic participation of the Emirati team in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy represents an unprecedented achievement, and confirms that Emirati sports know no boundaries, neither geographical nor climatic, but rather are based on an ambitious vision to build a capable generation. To excel and compete globally.

Al Qubaisi added that the Emirates Winter Sports Federation played a pivotal role in this achievement, through technical supervision of training and qualification programs, developing strategies that ensure players’ readiness for international participation, in addition to coordinating their participation in major tournaments, and providing technical expertise and training programs in cooperation with international federations, which contributes to raising the level of performance and consolidating the UAE’s position as an active player on the international scene in winter sports.

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– Winning the UAE National Championship title four times in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

– Climbing to the podium five times in a row in the International Ski Federation races in 2025.

– Achieving 38th place in the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

– Achieving 17th place in the 2025 Asian Winter Games.

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The most prominent achievements of player Bera Hodson

– Being among the top 15 in the 2012 Youth Olympic Games.

– He won points in the World Cup competitions in the slalom race in 2018, and in the parallel slalom race in 2021.

– Achieving 12th place in the World Championship, which was held in Cortina in 2021.

– After returning from injury, she won the overall title in the slalom ski race, within the North American Alpine Skiing Cup, and won the yellow jersey for the 2024-2025 season, in addition to regaining the position among the top 100 players in the world rankings.