A handful of diverse athletes — a pole-vaulter, sprinter, shot-putter, rugby player, and former Olympian in skeleton — will compete as Israel's first bobsled team during this year's Milan Cortina Winter Games, unlikely ambassadors of their diplomatically isolated nation.

Meet the Szollos siblings, Team Israel's skiing stars making history at the 2026 Winter Olympics with impressive achievements.

Jewish and Israeli athletes enjoyed historic success at the most recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, with a combined 36 athletes taking home 31 total medals between the two competitions. Israel’s seven Olympic medals were the country’s most in a single tournament.

Arkansas State track & field standout Menachem Chen is on the historic Israel bobsled team. He‘s a brakeman on the four-man bobsled squad, they finished 5th in the North American Cup on January 11th. The team earned an Olympic spot on January 22nd. Chen has also competed in two-man bobsled in previous years.

In Milano Cortina, Israel’s winter athletes will aim to leave a lasting impression – one run, skate, and slide at a time with nine Olympians and one Paralympian competing.

A camera drone follows close behind Barnabas Szollos of Team Israel, as he hurtles down the course during the men’s downhill at Stelvio Alpine Skiing Center in Bormio, Italy, on February 7, 2026, on day one of the 2026 Winter Olympics.