2026 Olympic Winter Games Selection Criteria
The following selection criteria has been posted to the Nordiq Canada website:
2026 Olympic Winter Games Selection Criteria (Internal Nomination Procedure)
Thank you to those who submitted feedback on the draft 2026 Olympic Winter Games Selection Criteria.
One key area of discussion was section 5.c.8: Priority 2. The purpose of Priority 1 and 2 criteria is to identify athletes who have demonstrated medal potential for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, aligning with the stated objective of the INP.
Based on your feedback, the High Performance Committee (HPC) considered:
- Ensuring a meaningful Trials event that supports head-to-head racing
- Which performance benchmarks (e.g., top 10s, top 12s) were indicative of podium potential
- The impact of World Cup experience on podium potential
- The difference in performance benchmarks in sprint versus distance events
- Results at Trials from unexpected circumstances
After considering the feedback and predictive data, the HPC has updated priority 2 to the following:
“Priority 2: 1 X top 10 AND 1 x top 12 individual final finish race result at a 2024-25 World Cup or 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championship.”
Priority 3 criteria will allow us to emphasize head-to-head competition, ensuring a meaningful Selection Trials event with adequate preparation time (7 weeks) before the Games. This approach aims to select the best team capable of delivering peak performance when it matters most.