Eleven sports, six countries represented, a quarter of the French Olympic team, and a flag-bearer: From February 6 to 22, 2026, 37 UGA students and 10 recent graduates competed at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. This top-level sporting adventure continues from March 6 to 15, 2026, with the Paralympic Games and four new champions: Arthur Bauchet, Jordan Broisin (flag bearer), Florian Michelon, and Aurélie Richard.

A little less than two years after the 2024 Paris Winter Olympics, where UGA students and recent graduates won four medals and six Top 10 finishes, and four years after the 2022 Beijing Summer Paralympics, which yielded nine medals and sixteen Top 10 finishes, the UGA athletes’ “delegation” once again distinguished itself in Italy.

Two Olympic titles and one silver medal

On February 15, 2026, on the tracks at the Lago di Tesero Stadium, Victor Lovera, a^second-year engineering student at Grenoble INP—Ensimag, UGA, and Théo Schely, a third-year student in the hybrid STAPS—SHIFT bachelor’s program, took second place on the podium.

Along with their teammates Hugo Lapalus and Mathis Desloges, the two UGA cross-country skiers won a superb silver medal in the men’s 4 x 7.5 km cross-country skiing relay (learn more). Of note: in the 50-km classic race, Théo Schely finished just off the podium (^4th place and top French finisher), and Victor Lovera placed^8th. The future engineer also placed^10th in the 10-km freestyle event.

Two days after this silver medal in cross-country skiing, Fabien Claude, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science (STAPS) with a concentration in sports training in 2018, took to the trails at the Antholz-Anterselva venue as the first leg runner for the French men’s biathlon team.

An Olympic silver medalist in the 4 x 7.5 km relay in 2022, he won gold this time around alongside Eric Perrot, Émilien Jacquelin, and Quentin Fillon Maillet (learn more).

Biathlon is a flagship sport in France, and it is also a flagship sport for the UGA. On February 18, 2026, once again on the trails of Antholz-Anterselva, Camille Bened, a first-year undergraduate student in Life Sciences (eBio track), was part of the “Fantastic Four” at these Winter Games.

At the end of a historic race, Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon, and Julia Simon were crowned Olympic champions in the women’s 4 x 7.5 km relay (learn more). This achievement hadn’t been accomplished in 34 years, since the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.
Camille Bened, who also placed sixth in the 15-km individual race, is following in the footsteps of Marie Dorin-Habert, Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet, Anaïs Bescond, and Chloé Chevalier—all graduates of UGA!

Top-Notch Performances by UGA Athletes

In addition to these three Olympic medals, UGA students and recent graduates also excelled at the Winter Games, earning no fewer than four Top 5 finishes and seventeen Top 10 finishes.


A 2020 graduate with a degree in Sports Science (STAPS), Nils Allègre has achieved outstanding results in alpine skiing, finishing 4th^e a place in the Super-G and an 8th-place finish^e downhill race. As the top French finisher in both events, he finished 5th^e in the men's team Alpine combined event with Clément Noël.

Still on stage, Pablo Giner Dalmasso, a master’s student in Ecological Transitions at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, has climbed to 7th place^e place in the ski mountaineering sprint event. In ski jumping, Emma Chervet and Enzo Milesi, both second-year students in the hybrid STAPS–SHIFT program, soared to 9th^e place in the mixed team jumping event.

In freestyle skiing and snowboarding, UGA champions achieved impressive results. Jade Grillet-Aubert, a junior majoring in Health Biotechnology, placed 6th^e place in the ski cross event. Thibault Mouille, a third-year student in the hybrid STAPS–SHIFT bachelor’s program, finished in 9th^e place in mogul skiing. As the flag-bearer for the French team, Chloé Trespeuch was unable to fulfill her medal hopes in Italy. A first-year master’s student in Ecological Transitions at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, she finished 9th^e in the snowboard cross event and 10^e in a mixed-gender team.


In speed skating, Mathieu Belloir, a first-year master’s student in STAPS (Sports Science, Physical Education, and Sports Training) specializing in Training and Sports Performance Optimization, placed 7th^e in the men's mass start final. Germain Deschamps, a sophomore in the hybrid STAPS-SHIFT program, finished a strong 5th^e place in the men's team pursuit with Timothy Loubineaud and Valentin Thiebault.

In short track, Cloé Ollivier, a third-year student in the Hybrid STAPS–SHIFT bachelor’s program, finished seventh twice: first in the mixed team relay with Etienne Bastier, a first-year student in the Hybrid STAPS–SHIFT bachelor’s program, and then in the women’s 3,000-meter relay with Eva Grenouilloux, a third-year student in the Hybrid STAPS–SHIFT bachelor’s program.

Still on the ice, but this time in bobsledding, Romain Heinrich—who holds a master’s degree in business administration (Grenoble IAE–INP, UGA) and a degree in industrial engineering (Grenoble INP–UGA)—finished 10th^e in the two-man bobsled event with Dorian Hauterville.

In cross-country skiing, Delphine Claudel, Cloé Pagnier, Léonie Perry, and Julie Pierrel—all four of whom are students or graduates of the STAPS program—finished 9th^e results from the women's 4 x 7.5 km relay. After finishing 10th in the individual 10 km freestyle, Léonie Perry also took a solid 7th^e place in the freestyle sprint with Mélissa Gal, a first-year master's student in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering.

See all the results for UGA athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics

"This year’s “Team UGA” competing at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics is much younger than the teams at previous Winter Games. The medals and numerous top-10 finishes achieved in Italy bode well for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the Alps.", says Philippe Giroud, director of the Service for People with Special Needs (SPBS) and SHN project manager at the UGA, as well as executive director of CASE Grenoble Alpes. "Congratulations to all of our students and recent graduates on their selection for the Olympics, their performances, and their success in pursuing both their academic and athletic goals at the highest level !"

Inter’Val: A Program for the Elite of Winter Sports

To balance their studies with competing at the highest international level, all UGA students participating in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics benefit from the Inter’Val system. Established in 2004 to address the significant challenges faced by winter sports athletes, this specialized support program is reserved for athletes competing in the most prestigious international competitions.

Offered in all fields of study, Inter’Val is based on a partnership—unique in France—between the UGA and the National Sports Agency (ANS) and 5 federations: the French Ski Federation (FFS), the French Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (FFME), the French Ice Sports Federation (FFSG), the French Ice Hockey Federation (FFHG) and the French Federation of Sports for People with Disabilities (FFH).

This year, of the 770 high-level student-athletes supported by the UGA in their dual academic and athletic pursuits, 115 are benefiting from the Inter’Val support program. The success of this leading support program is also reflected in the 11 UGA graduates who are continuing their athletic careers at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics while having secured their professional futures.