More than the Score – When will Africa win its first Winter Olympic medal?

Available for over a year

More than 3500 athletes from 93 countries will be competing for 195 medals at the Milan-Cortina Games. Three countries will be making their Winter Olympic debuts at the 2026 Games, the African nations of Benin and Guinea Bissau along with the United Arab Emirates. But with the established winter sport nations such as Norway, the United States of America, Canada and Germany looking to dominate the medal table once again, how hard is it for new countries to compete on the world stage?

Eight African nations will be represented this time with Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa along with the two debutants taking part. South Africa is sending its largest ever team with five athletes, but over six decades since an African nation made its Winter Olympics debut, the continent’s first medal remains elusive.

Matt Smith only took up the sport three years ago and is now going to be South Africa’s sole cross-country skier in the upcoming games. He tells Lee James why he hopes his inclusion can inspire generations to come, and why he’s been nicknamed the ‘Snowbok’. Simidele Adeagbo became the first Nigerian to compete at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and was the first black female Olympian in the sport of Skeleton. She says with a more than a billion people on the African continent it’s important its athletes are proportionately represented when it comes to the Winter Olympics.

Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We’ve got interviews with extraordinary athletes like Ivory Coast legend Yaya Toure, boxing royalty Cecilia Braekhus and cycling sprint king Harrie Lavreysen, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the referees who run VAR to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we’ve got the expertise of the BBC’s top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels. And if you’ve got your own take on the stories we cover, we’d love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk, or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

Programme WebsiteShow less