McAnuff And O’Brien Attend OFI Milano Cortina Camp
This week Team Ireland short track speed skaters Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien touched down in Dublin to participate in a Milano Cortina Olympic Games team camp hosted by the Olympic Federation of Ireland for athletes targeting qualification for the Games that will take place from 6-22 February 2026.
Ireland first competed at the Winter Olympics at Albertville 1992 and since then 33 athletes have proudly flown the Irish flag on the world stage. However, no Irish athlete in any ice skating discipline has yet qualified or competed at a Winter Olympics and our skaters will be gunning to make history this time round for Milano Cortina.
Over the course of the two-day camp, athletes took part in a range of sessions including Games planning, psychology and performance support, and media training. They also heard from two-time Olympic boxing champion Kellie Harrington, who delivered an inspiring talk on managing the pressures of elite competition, drawing on her own Olympic experiences.
The camp also included a special event attended by the OFI President, Lochlann Walsh, OFI CEO Peter Sherrard, Italian Ambassador to Ireland Nicola Faganello, Sport Ireland CEO Dr. Una May, and OFI sponsors and partners.
Team Ireland Chef de Mission for the Milano Cortina Olympics, Nancy Chillingworth, said,
“This was a hugely valuable team-building camp. We rarely get the chance to bring our winter athletes together, as they’re usually competing across the globe. Over the past two days, we were delighted that six of the Milano Cortina potential athletes were able to attend the camp in person. They made the most of their time here, taking full advantage of the world-class facilities at the Sport Ireland Institute, who ran a range of workshops covering everything from anti-doping and performance management to psychology and a boxing-based team-building session. They also attended a storytelling workshop, which was followed by a media day.
“A standout moment was the talk with Kellie, who generously shared her time, answered questions, and offered invaluable advice on handling the pressures of high-level performance.”
Having narrowly missed out on Beijing 2022 by one spot, the magnitude of the Olympics is not lost on O’Brien.
“Getting together here, at the Irish Olympic headquarters, has been very special. We got to get to know the other athletes but also, to see the Olympic rings here and the Irish crest on our jerseys, it really hits home to you that you are representing Ireland and are so proud to do it.”
McAnuff agreed that it was inspiring and motivating to come together with Irish athletes from other sports who are also pursuing their dreams to be part of Team Ireland at Milano Cortina 2026.
“I didn’t think this was even hyped up enough because I honestly didn’t think it was going to be this exciting or informative. It was also great to meet the other athletes. It’s a real eye opener to see how many other athletes are trying to achieve the same as me in Ireland in winter sports.”
