For Media And Other Inquiries:
Get in TouchBy Ben Steiner
When Marielle Thompson (Whistler, BC) logged onto the video call, she thought it was simply another round of media interviews amid the pre-Olympic buzz in the lead-up to Milan Cortina 2026.
Little did she know that fellow Olympic champion and freestyle skier, Mikaël Kingsbury, would also be online, as Canadian Olympic Committee’s Chief Sport Officer Eric Myles and Milan Cortina 2026 chef de mission, Jennifer Heil, named the two skiers as Canada’s flag bearers for the upcoming Olympics.
“It was a big surprise... ski cross is still such a young sport, having entered the Olympics in Vancouver 2010, so there haven't been a lot of opportunities for anyone in our sport to carry the flag,” Thompson said soon after the announcement. “I take it as a big responsibility to be leading our team, so I hope I can do it justice, and I'll do my best.”
Thompson becomes the first Alpine Canada athlete since Ken Read at Lake Placid 1980 and the first British Columbian since Karen Magnussen at Sapporo 1972 to be tipped for the honour, as she heads to her fourth Olympic Games, looking for another podium appearance after gold at Sochi 2014 and silver at Beijing 2022.
The 33-year-old Whistler native has 36 World Cup victories and two Olympic medals, while Kingsbury of Deux-Montagnes, Quebec , Qué, recently secured his 100th World Cup moguls win and brings three Olympic medals.
Combined, they shared 136 World Cup victories, 217 World Cup podiums, five Olympic medals, and 18 World Championship medals, making them two of the most dominant Canadian athletes of the last 15 years.
“When I heard that Mik was going to be the other flag bearer, I was not surprised at all,” Thompson added. “He's had such an incredible career, and to be entering the Olympic opening ceremonies alongside him is an honor...
We're both the same age and have pretty much entered the World Cup at a similar time. So at our multi-sport events like World Championships and Olympics, we've known each other for quite some time now.”
Returning from Injury
Not only do the two share a similar career trajectory, but they both enter the Games as they gain momentum after injuries that kept them out of the first few events in the 2025-26 World Cup seasons.
Thompson recently skied to her first podium in 11 months with a third-place finish in Veysonnaz, SUI, after recovering from a third knee surgery, this time to fix a ligament tear in her right fibula, after a previous ACL tear and recovery hampered her preparations for Beijing 2022.
Her counterpart returned from a left groin injury before hitting the century mark in World Cup wins on home snow in Val St. Come.
“'In the depths of my rehabilitation in the summer, it wasn't looking very promising, so I focused on the task at hand each and every day, just step by step, to help me get to where I am... it got kind of daunting, because it's a big goal to get back on skis from quite a serious injury, but I know from my past experiences, I've been able to get back to my best,” added Thompson.
“The podium in Veysonnaz was definitely a confidence booster... maybe the stars are aligning for me.”
Now, the two will share the honour of being Canada’s 27th and 28th flag bearers at the Winter Olympic Games, with Thompson being the third athlete from Alpine Canada to take on the responsibility.
A Different Opening Ceremony
Despite the ample Olympic experience Thompson brings to her fourth Games, Milan Cortina will mark the first time that she has attended the opening ceremony.
Ski cross, held over just a single day, unlike many World Cup events, has shifted earlier in the schedule, allowing Thompson to make the opening event, instead of tuning in on television as she has since Vancouver 2010 as a fan.
While Thompson has marched into stadiums with her fellow Team Canada athletes before at the closing ceremony, Milan Cortina will be her first opening showcase.
Yet, she and Kingsbury won’t be at the San Siro, the famed Italian soccer stadium home to AC Milan and Inter Milan. Instead, they will be at the Livigno Snow Park, with the 200 Canadian athletes spread across six athlete villages, over a vast 22,000 square kilometres in Northern Italy.
“Each of my Olympic experiences has been so different,” Thompson said, “I'm just kind of taking it day by day...I think I'm just going to be trying to take it all in, enjoy the moment, and that's really all I can do to just enjoy the experience.”
The opening ceremony will take place on Feb. 6 across the separate venues, broadcast live across Canada on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada, at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT.