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The NCAA’s impact on the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The NCAA has a lasting and growing impact on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Each cycle, current and former NCAA student-athletes represent their nations on the world stage, showcasing how college sports helps develop the world’s best. 

This page features an interactive dashboard tracking NCAA-affiliated athletes who qualified to compete at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics. As rosters and qualification lists evolve, the dashboard will be refreshed to reflect the most up-to-date information available.

Explore the dashboard

Use the filters to explore NCAA connections across the 2026 Winter Games, including country, sport, school, conference, division and gender. Whether you’re looking for Team USA breakdowns, NCAA winter sport representation or where athletes competed in college, the dashboard is built to help you find it quickly.

Dashboard snapshot

As of the most recent dashboard refresh (Feb. 11), the tracker includes:

  • 249 total NCAA athletes: 244 total NCAA-affiliated Olympic athletes and 5 NCAA-affiliated Paralympic athletes.
  • 161 international athletes and 88 Team USA athletes.
  • 91 NCAA schools, 36 primary conferences and 11 sport-specific conferences represented.
  • 10 NCAA sports and 9 Olympic sports represented.
  • 164 female athletes and 85 male athletes.
  • 171 athletes connected to ice hockey and 72 athletes across other sports.

See an error or a missing athlete? Email OMHPMH@ncaa.org .

Team USA at a glance

Team USA’s official roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics has the NCAA footprint is all over it.

Team USA Olympic roster snapshot (official announcement):

  • 232 total Team USA athletes.
  • 84 NCAA-connected athletes (36% of the U.S. team).
  • Five Team USA teams with at least 75% NCAA connections: Bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, men’s ice hockey, women’s ice hockey and skeleton. 
  • 9 Olympic sports and 9 NCAA sports represented.
  • Ties to 51 NCAA schools, 27 primary conferences and six sport-specific conferences.
  • Representation from all three NCAA divisions.
  • 38 NCAA-connected athletes in men’s sports and 46 in women’s sports.

NCAA champions on Team USA:

  • 22 NCAA-connected Team USA athletes have won at least one NCAA team and/or individual championship
  • Those athletes combine for 39 total NCAA titles: 22 team championships and 17 individual championships

Why NCAA winter sports matter

NCAA winter sports like ice hockey and skiing are among the most direct collegiate connections to the Winter Games, with NCAA programs helping athletes sharpen their skills, compete at a high level and prepare for elite international competition. 

The Team USA’s women’s ice hockey,  team, for example, comprises 100% NCAA athletes, while 20 of the 25 Team USA men’s players skated for NCAA hockey squads. Between all the men’s and women’s ice hockey rosters at Milan Cortina, nearly 33% of all players (172 of 530) have NCAA experience. On the women’s side, that number is 53% (122 of 230), including 40 current NCAA student-athletes. (Full NCAA women's ice hockey breakdown.) 

The NCAA winter footprint also includes several athletes who transition into different Olympic and Paralympic sports beyond their collegiate playing days, reflecting how college experiences can support long-term athletic development.

A collaboration focused on athlete support and sport growth

Behind the numbers is an ongoing collaboration focused on supporting athletes and growing Olympic and Paralympic sports on college campuses.

That work is strengthened by a cooperation agreement between the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee established in 2019. Through that partnership, the Olympians and Paralympians Made Here campaign was created to promote Olympic and Paralympic opportunities across college sports and build national awareness of pathways for student-athletes.

In 2022, the collaboration also led to the launch of the Para-College Inclusion Project, designed to expand awareness and participation in adaptive sports in the collegiate landscape. The initiative evolved into an awareness committee and tactical teams supporting wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and para track and field, identifying areas to strengthen para sport infrastructure through shared operations, formal partnerships and increased cooperation.

Explore Past Olympic Games Featuring NCAA Student-Athletes

See how NCAA student-athletes have represented their schools and sports across past Olympic Games.