Winter Sports

Delivered in partnership with the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and Snow Australia (Olympic Sports), and Snow Australia and Australian Paralympic Committee (Paralympic Sports), the NSWIS Winter Sports Program aims to support Australian winter sport athletes achieve medal outcomes at the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The partnership is also supported by Perisher and Thredbo ski resorts providing access to world class on-snow training and competition facilities, as well the Office of Sport through the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre providing world class off-snow training facilities and accommodation.

The Winter Sports program boasts world's best para athletes including three-time Paralympian Mel Perrine. Following her two bronze medal performances in the super combined and the giant slalom at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, Perrine added World Championship gold to her results at the 2019 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Perrine and her guide Bobbi Kelly, took home a full complement of medals in the visually impaired classification; securing gold in the super combined, silver in the women’s giant slalom and super g; and bronze in the slalom. Fellow vision impaired para alpine skier Patrick Jensen had a breakthrough 2019/20 World Cup season. Guided by Amelia Hodgson, Jensen claimed back to back bronze medals in the slalom at the Prato Nevoso World Cup in Italy; followed by a third bronze medal in Jasna, Slovakia.

Two-time Paralympic sit-skier Victoria Pendergast reached the World Cup podium in 2019, winning two medals in Giant Slalom at Veysonnaz, Switzerland. More recently, Sam Tait earned his debut World Cup podium in 2020, claiming bronze in the Giant Slalom (Sit-Ski) in Jasna, Slovakia.

Para snowboarder Ben Tudhope showed his promise as a future talent at just 14 when he became the world’s youngest ever Winter Paralympian, competing at both the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Tudhope claimed silver at his first World Championships, adding to his dual gold medals in the Banked Slalom at the 2019 La Molina World Cup in Spain. The 2020 season proved Tudhope’s finest to date; the youngster winning two gold and three silver World Cup medals, and being crowned the Crystal Globe champion.

The program also boasts worlds’ best able bodied athletes and successful freestyle mogul trio, Matthew Graham, Jakara Anthony and Britteny Cox.  After debuting the 2014 Sochi, Russia Olympic Winter Games where he finished seventh, Matthew Graham went on to claim silver in both the men’s moguls at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the 2019 Deer Valley, USA FIS Freestyle World Championships. In doing so Graham became the first NSWIS Winter Sport athlete to progress through the NSWIS development pathway to claim an Olympic medal.

After narrowly missing a medal on debut placing fourth in women’s moguls at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, Jakara Anthony backed up that performance claiming multiple women’s FIS Freestyle World Cup medals and finished second overall in the women’s FIS Freestyle World Cup standings including a standout silver medal performance at the 2019 Deer Valley, USA FIS Freestyle World Championships. Anthony continued to shine in 2020 claiming another four women’s FIS Freestyle World Cup medals and finishing the season ranked second in the overall standings for consecutive years. Britteny Cox was crowned women’s moguls FIS Freestyle World Cup and World Champion in 2017. Cox also narrowly missed an Olympic medal at the 2018 PyeongChang, Korea Olympic Winter Games and is back to worlds best form with a third place at the 2020 Ruka, Finland FIS Freestyle World Cup.

In 2018 Jarryd Hughes continued to add to Australia’s international success, producing a silver medal performance at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games in snowboard cross, becoming the second NSWIS winter sports athlete to progress through the NSWIS development pathway to claim an Olympic medal. During the 2020 FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season, several Australians secured podiums including Cam Bolton who took silver in Montafon, Australia, and Adam Dickson - whose breakthrough performance in Veysonnaz, Switzerland earned him a bronze medal; the first World Cup podium of his career.

Belle Brockhoff made a remarkable comeback after being sidelined with an ACL injury, returning to world's best form, and finishing the women’s FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season with five incredible podium finishes from six starts (one gold, one silver and three bronze) and narrowly missing the Crystal Globe finishing second in the overall standings.

Josie Baff made history at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, claiming Australia’s first ever gold medal in women’s snowboard cross. Baff finished just 0.05 seconds ahead of French snowboarder Margaux Herpin, signalling she is well and truly on the radar as a future star.

NSWIS Park & Pipe athlete Tess Coady exceeded all expectations, returning from an ACL injury at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games in women’s slopestyle to record Australia’s first ever gold medal in FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup in Seiser Alm, Italy.