Olympic champions Kingsbury & Thompson named Team Canada’s flag bearers for Milano Cortina 2026 

Two athletes who are both about to compete in their fourth Olympic Winter Games have been named as Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearers for Milano Cortina 2026. 

Three-time Olympic medallist in moguls, Mikaël Kingsbury, and two-time Olympic medallist in ski cross, Marielle Thompson, were selected for the incredible honour of carrying the maple leaf on February 6. 

“There just are so many amazing athletes to select from, that I got chosen is really kind of unbelievable, but very special,” Thompson said just minutes after hearing the news. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, for sure, but it’s very special. I’ve seen all these amazing athletes when I’ve been watching the Olympics, when I’ve been participating, carry the flag, and it’s kind of the highest honour, I’d say, in our Olympic journey.”

“This is one of the greatest honours I’ve ever received,” echoed Kingsbury. “Canada is a world power. Looking at all the names that have done it previously, they’re all exceptional athletes.” 

Team Canada Flag Bearers at the Olympic Winter Games

He quickly recalled when Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir put him on the front line of Team Canada athletes when they were the Opening Ceremony flag bearers at PyeongChang 2018. 

“I walked there and watched them and I said to myself, one day, if I keep performing—I know it’s something that’s out of my control, but I’ll continue to be a good person and represent my country—maybe one day I’ll have that opportunity.”  

Kingsbury’s record-breaking resumé certainly played a part in the opportunity to be a flag bearer being offered to him.

The first male moguls skier to win three Olympic gold medals, he claimed gold at PyeongChang 2018 in between silver medals at Sochi 2014 and Beijing 2022. Earlier this month, he earned his 100th career FIS World Cup victory. He has won 29 Crystal Globes and is a nine-time world champion with a total of 15 medals in 16 starts at the FIS World Championships. 

Thompson’s career has also been illustrious. She won gold in her Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 and added a silver medal at Beijing 2022, keeping alive Team Canada’s Olympic podium streak in women’s ski cross that dates back to the discipline’s debut at Vancouver 2010. This past weekend, she earned her 74th career World Cup podium, which ranks her second all-time in ski cross. She was world champion in 2019 and has won four Crystal Globes (2012, 2014, 2017, 2024). 

“Mik and I, we’ve been to each Olympics together and we’re the same age, so we’ve kind of come up together in this sport,” Thompson said of her fellow flag bearer. “I think we’ve definitely got some camaraderie and it’s kind of cool to be sharing each of our Olympics together. And he was no surprise. When they told me I thought ‘well-deserved, amazing’.”

Thompson returned to competition in December after undergoing surgery for a knee injury in March. Overcoming adversity in an Olympic season is not unfamiliar for Thompson. Eleven months before she won her second Olympic medal, she had also needed knee surgery. 

“Each of my Olympic experiences has been so different so far, and this is no different, where I’m returning from injury and still kind of trying to find my feet, but we’re getting there,” said Thompson. “It’s kind of better each and every day, and I’m starting to feel more like my pre-injured self again. So really positive and hoping I can keep that momentum going forward.”

After withdrawing from the opening World Cup stop of the season out of precaution for a groin injury, Kingsbury achieved the major milestone of his 100th career win on home snow in Val St-Come, Quebec. 

“The progress I’ve made since that victory, I really feel like I’m getting close to the best version of myself, in terms of how I feel,” he said. “It’s going to be intense, to finish the last little details and then get to the Games and just enjoy. I want to enjoy it. I’ve had a lot of pressure in my career being one of the favourites or the favourite and having my little boy down below, my family, I want to finish this in style.” 

Thinking about what the moment of leading Team Canada might be like during the Opening Ceremony, Thompson anticipates her emotions will be showing. 

“I’ll probably cry. I think back to when I won my gold medal in Sochi and how I just could not hold the emotions in,” she reflected. “I think carrying the flag and thinking about Canada, I’m gonna be a mess, maybe, but I’ll try to hold it together.”

“It’s not just me and Marielle leading the country; we’re all going to walk out together as a group,” said Kingsbury. “That’s what defines Canada: we’re a whole team of athletes who are close. I’ll try to enjoy the moment, live in the present as best I can, because I know it’s going to go by super fast and it’s something I’ll be able to remember for the rest of my life.” 

The Opening Ceremony at Milano Cortina 2026 is sure to be unique. Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium will be the primary venue for the spectacular celebration. But because of the large footprint for these Games, spread across several regions of northern Italy, there will be simultaneous athlete parades in Livigno—where Kingsbury and Thompson will be marching—as well as Predazzo and Cortina d’Ampezzo.