ZAGREB, 4 Feb (Hina) - Croatia's team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina (6-22 February) comprises eight female and six male athletes who will compete in four sports: Alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing and short-track speed skating.

For the second consecutive Winter Games, female athletes outnumber their male counterparts in the Croatian delegation. As usual, the largest group consists of Alpine skiers, with six athletes in total -- three women and three men.

The female skiers will compete in Cortina. Zrinka Ljutić, 22, and the youngest team member, 16-year-old debutant Pia Vučinić, will compete in slalom and giant slalom, while 28-year-old Leona Popović will take part only in slalom. Ljutić is making her second Olympic appearance after debuting in Beijing four years ago, and Popović will be appearing at her third Games.

The men’s Alpine skiing events will take place in Bormio. Thirty-three-year-old Filip Zubčić will compete in both giant slalom and slalom, while 27-year-old Samuel Kolega and 30-year-old Istok Rodeš will focus solely on the slalom.

In Nordic skiing, Croatia's competitors are Tena Hadžić, Ema Sobol and Marko Skender (cross-country), while Matija Legović, Anika Kožica and Krešimir Crnković will compete in biathlon.

The cross-country skiing events will be held in Tesero (Val di Fiemme), while the biathlon competitions will take place in Antholz-Anterselva.

Valentina Aščić and Katarina Burić have secured spots in short track speed skating in Milan.

More than 2,800 athletes from around 90 countries are expected to take part, competing in 16 sports, including the debut of ski mountaineering and likely the final edition of the Nordic combined.

The opening ceremony will be held at San Siro Stadium in Milan on 6 February, with the closing ceremony in Verona on 22 February.