Four Olympic medalists also participated in the winter sports festival (from left in the blue jerseys): Marion Oberhofer, Andrea Vötter, Simon Kainzwaldner and Verena Hofer. © Camilla Pizzini

A winter of superlatives has now finally come to an end.

The contrasts couldn't have been greater. Midsummer temperatures and a beachy atmosphere on the one hand, images from the past winter sports season, culminating in the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, and countless successes on the other. Two extremes collided at the traditional winter sports festival in the FORST brewery garden on Friday evening.

30 May 2026

From: pm/sn

At the winter sports festival, the young athletes were immediately in the spotlight, specifically during the "Rookies of the Year powered by Microgate" awards ceremony. Alexander Staffler (natural track luge), Elia Steinkasserer (biathlon), Anna Trocker (alpine skiing), Tobias Mutschlechner (snowboarding), Alex Putzer (freestyle skiing), Marika Frenademez (freestyle snowboarding), Maximilian Winkler (artificial track luge), and Sofie Irsara (ski mountaineering) were honored as the year's rising stars. "The successes came as a complete surprise. I never imagined it would be such a successful season. I'm thrilled with last winter; I experienced so many new things, it was simply wonderful," said ski racer Anna Trocker.

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics were a constant topic of conversation at the traditional closing celebration of the South Tyrolean Winter Sports Association. The biathlon competitions took place in Antholz, and South Tyrol's winter sports elite shone at their home games, winning a total of seven Olympic medals and two Paralympic medals across all levels. Olympic champions and medalists Andrea Vötter/Marion Oberhofer, Verena Hofer, and Simon Kainzwaldner were also among those present at the FORST brewery garden.

More Junior World Championship medals than ever before

Also honored in Algund were the winners of the various race series, such as the Alperia Snowboard Cup, the Hubert Leitgeb Cup, the Raiffeisen Cross-Country Skiing Cup, the Raiffeisen Tobogganing Cup, the Raiffeisen Slopestyle Tour, the Raiffeisen Grand Prix Alpine Skiing, as well as the Marlene Cup in Alpine Skiing, the Raiffeisen Team Cup and the Alperia Cup Trophy.

The winners of the "Rookies of the Year powered by Microgate" category. © Camilla Pizzini

From a South Tyrolean perspective, the various Junior World Championships were also very successful last winter, with local young athletes diligently collecting medals and setting a new record. Ski racer Anna Trocker, biathletes Andreas Braunhofer, Julian Huber and Jonas Tscholl, snowboarder Tommy Rabanser, natural track lugers Tina Stuffer, Nina Castiglioni, Alex Castiglioni, Lotte Mulser and Jakob Genetti, as well as Leon Haselrieder, Manuel Weissensteiner, Alexandra Oberstolz and Philipp Brunner from the artificial track, were brought onto the stage and honored for their achievements.

Zingerle & Co. say goodbye

Following the end of the 2025/26 season, several South Tyrolean winter sports stars ended their successful careers. Dorothea Wierer, Simon Maurberger, Dietmar Nöckler, Yanick Gunsch, Hannes Zingerle, and René Monteleone all retired. Gunsch, Zingerle, and Monteleone were given a final opportunity to celebrate their retirement at the winter sports festival.

Towards the end of the nearly two-hour event, two summer events were also announced, both scheduled to take place in the coming months. The Summer Olympics will be held in Antholz on Saturday, July 25th, where teams of five will compete in mountain biking, rollerblading, running, obstacle course racing, and shooting. The traditional White Meets Green golf tournament, on the other hand, will take place on Saturday, August 1st. This tournament will be combined with the German Sports Aid Foundation's golf tournament.

A relaxed atmosphere prevailed at this year's winter sports festival. © Camilla Pizzini

In conclusion, approximately €60.000 was distributed from the funding pool. "We are very proud to be able to provide financial support to 41 clubs with a small contribution. I would like to congratulate all the successful athletes on their achievements and wish everyone a relaxing summer break. Behind the scenes, we are already working diligently on the upcoming winter season and are also preparing for the state-level elections, which are expected to take place on July 18th," said Markus Ortler, President of the State Winter Sports Association, in closing.