The Philippines will send two alpine skiers, Tallulah Proulx and Francis Ceccarelli, to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. This marks the country's fourth consecutive appearance in the Winter Games. Both athletes bring unique stories of heritage and determination to the snow-covered slopes.
From the tropics to the snow, the Philippines will send two foreign-based athletes to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, held from February 6 to 17. Tallulah Proulx, a 17-year-old US-based skier, makes history as the first female and youngest athlete from Southeast Asia to compete in the Winter Olympics, according to the Olympic website. Her father traces roots to Eastern Samar, and she will race in slalom and giant slalom, alpine skiing events requiring precise control on steep slopes.
“I just want to go in with a positive mindset and represent the Philippines in a positive light and take away the whole experience, of course, and just enjoy it without having to put too much pressure on myself because I think I perform best when I’m, of course, happy and surrounded by such inspirational figures,” she told Olympics.com.
Raised in Utah, Proulx earned her Olympic spot by accumulating quota points in FIS-sanctioned events. She competed in the Junior World Championships last year in Italy. “Once I switched to racing, my passion for the sport and the joy of it has remained unchanged,” she said in a previous interview with the Olympic Council of Asia. She aims to boost awareness of alpine skiing in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Francis Ceccarelli, born in Quezon City and adopted by Italian parents, will represent the Philippines while competing near his home in Abetone, Tuscany—about three hours from the Olympic venue. He moved to Italy at age eight and has carried the Philippine flag in international events since 2023. “Since I started skiing, my Filipino identity has always been with me. It represents where I was born and where I’m from,” he told Olympics.com.
As an Olympic Solidarity Athlete with a scholarship from the International Olympic Committee, Ceccarelli is the first Filipino to secure a spot in these Games. He follows previous Filipino alpine skiers like Juan Cipriano and Ben Nanasca in 1972, Michael Turuel in 1992, and Asa Miller in 2018 and 2022. He also participated in the 2025 Asian Winter Games. “It was a goal for me to ski for the Philippines, because it is not every day that we have a Filipino athlete skiing at international level,” per Rappler.com.
This is the Philippines’ seventh Winter Olympics appearance since 1972 and offers a chance for the country’s first Winter Games medal.
