Four MCC members will represent the green and gold as part of Australia’s 44-athlete team at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, starting in Beijing this Friday.
Beijing will be Alpine Skier, Greta Small’s third Winter Olympics campaign having been a part of the Australian teams at Sochi in 2014 and PyeongChang in 2018.Born in Wangaratta but cutting her teeth on the slopes of Mount Buffalo, Small has been one of Australia’s pre-eminent skiers despite battling a recurring knee injuries. She will compete in all five disciplines of Alpine Skiing at the Winter Olympics: Downhill, Super-G and Alpine Combined events.
Fellow Alpine Skier, Louis Muhlen-Schulte will make his Winter Olympics debut at Beijing, competing in the slalom and giant slalom events.
The Alpine skiing schedule commences on February at the Xiaohaituo Alpine Skiing Field in Yanqing District – around 75 kilometres outside of Beijing’s city centre.
Like Small, Cameron Bolton arrives in Beijing to compete in his third Winter Olympics campaign and joins a six-athlete team in the Snowboard Cross event, with high hopes.
Snowboarding is a discipline that has been kind to Australia in previous Olympic meets, with medals at the last three games.
While COVID-19 has ruined a consistent run at meets for Bolton, the Sorrento-born snowboarder showed he has the potential to match the best in the world with a fourth place finish in Cervinia, Italy.
The snowboarding events will commence on Saturday February 5.
Dean Hewitt will be making history in this year’s Winter Olympics, part of Australia’s first-ever Curling team at a Winter Olympic Games. In partnership with Tahli Gill, Hewitt will be looking to continue the momentum he and Gill achieved at the final qualification in the Netherlands in December, going through the seven-match tournament undefeated.
Hewitt’s campaign commences a few days before the Games’ Opening Ceremony, he and Gill commencing their campaign against the USA on Wednesday February 2.
Australia is a genuine chance of returning a record medal haul from the event, proven by sending its third-biggest ever Winter Olympics team to China with 44 athletes to compete across 10 events. The team features 23 women, making it the strongest female representation Australia has ever had at a Winter Games.
Australia has won 15 medals at the Winter Olympics since its first appearance in 1936 (and commencing regular appearances from 1952), with an even split of five Gold, five Silver, and five Bronze.
To cheer on our Australian Olympic representatives these Olympic Games, the MCG will illuminate its external lighting in green and gold and show support via the Ground’s external gate LED signage.
The Australian Sports Museum will also show its support for the Australian Team throughout the Winter Olympics, as well as continue to display its prized artefacts from the likes of Steven Bradbury and Alisa Camplin – both of whom won Australia’s first-ever Winter Olympics Gold Medals 20 years ago at Salt Lake City in 2002.
The MCC would like to congratulate these athletes on their selection in the Australian Winter Olympics Team and wish them the best for their events in Beijing.
MCC Member Athletes at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games
Dean Hewitt (Curling, Mixed Doubles)- Qualification Matches:
- versus United States of America – Wednesday February 2, 11.05pm AEDT
- versus China – Thursday February 3, 12.05pm AEDT
- versus Czech Republic – Thursday February 3, 11.05pm AEDT
- versus Sweden – Friday February 4, 11.35am AEDT
- versus Great Britain – Friday February 4, 4.35pm AEDT
- versus Norway – Saturday February 5, 12.05pm AEDT
- versus Italy – Saturday February 5, 5.05pm AEDT
- versus Switzerland – Sunday February 6, 5.05pm AEDT
- versus Canada – Sunday February 6, 11.05pm AEDT
- Finals: Monday February 7, 11.05pm AEDT
Greta Small (Alpine Skiing)
- Giant Slalom – Monday February 7, 1.15pm AEDT
- Slalom – Wednesday February 9, 1.15pm AEDT
- Super-G – Friday February 11, 2.00pm AEDT
- Downhill – Tuesday February 15, 2.00pm AEDT
- Combined – Thursday February 17, 1.30pm AEDT
Cameron Bolton (Snowboarding, Snowboard Cross)
- Seeding, Finals and Medal Events – Thursday February 10, 2.15pm AEDT
Louis Muhlen-Schulte (Alpine Skiing)
- Giant Slalom – Sunday February 13, 1.15pm AEDT
- Slalom – Wednesday February 16, 1.15pm AEDT