New Zealand at the 2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Olympic Winter Games will take place in Torino, Italy. This will be New Zealand's thirteenth Olympic Winter Games. New Zealand is sending its largest team ever to the games with 18 athletes, 7 more than in Salt Lake City in 2002. Although New Zealand has not found great success in the games having only managed to win one medal ever (a silver medal in 1992), New Zealand’s performance in winter sports is improving with kiwi athletes starting to take advantage of the world class winter sporting alpine environment in New Zealand.
| File:Olympic-rings.png | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
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 New Zealand
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Flag Bearer
Sean Becker, the captain of New Zealand's curling team, will carry the flag for the New Zealand team.
The tradition is that the New Zealand team flag bearer at an Olympic games wears a blessed traditional Maori cloak called the Kotahu.
Athletes
Mickey Ross will contest the Slalom, Erika McLeod the Giant Slalom and Nicola Campbell the Giant Slalom and Super G
Alan Henderson, Matt Dallow, Stephen Harrison, Angus Ross will contest the 4 man event and the Aaron Orangi the 2 man.
The New Zealand national men's team qualified for the games after placing 8th at the 2005 World Championships. The team heading to Torino comprises of Sean Becker, Hans Frauenlob, Dan Mustapic, Lorne DePape and Warren Dobson, of Ranfurly CC. The New Zealand men's team is the first team from the southern hemisphere to compete in curling as an official sport at the Olympics.
New Zealand's Men's and Women's national standing on the world cup circuit has met qualification standards. Ben Sandford and Louise Corcoran will both contest the skeleton event at torino.
Junior world halfpipe champion Mitchell Brown will contest the halfpipe, Kendall Brown will also be competing in the halfpipe and Juliane Bray will contest both the halfpipe and snowboard cross.
See also
External link
- New Zealand Olympic Committee
- Snow Sports New Zealand
- Speed Skating New Zealand
- Skeleton New Zealand
- New Zealand Curling Association
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