Britain’s short-track speed skating team for the 2026 Winter Olympics will consist of just one athlete, Niall Treacy, marking a significant reduction from previous Games. The 25-year-old will be the sole representative for Team GB in Milan and Cortina, a stark contrast to earlier years when multiple medal contenders competed.
The downturn follows severe funding cuts by UK Sport after the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. The sport’s budget, which peaked at over £3.5 million for the 2018 cycle, has been drastically reduced. Jon Eley, head of performance at British Ice Skating, now oversees a combined skating budget of under £2 million, mostly allocated to figure and long-track disciplines.
Eley, a former Olympic finalist who benefited from the previous world-class programme in Nottingham, told the Press Association: 'It is a far cry from those days of success and while we have been rebuilding our programme, the sport has moved to another level. The kind of opportunities and support I got is way beyond what these guys have been able to access. They are all effectively self-funded.'
Britain has not won an Olympic short-track medal since Nicky Gooch’s bronze in 1994. Gooch, who lost his job after the 2018 cuts, now coaches Hungary. The Hungarian relay team narrowly beat Britain to a qualifying place for Milan, leaving Treacy as the sole British competitor.
Treacy, returning for his second Games, said: 'It is a huge honour to be selected for the Olympic Games. I’m incredibly proud to have the opportunity to return to the world’s biggest stage. I’m excited to test myself against the very best in the world.'
