There is a "bright future" for snowsports athletes and future Winter Olympians in Ireland, said former Olympian and Snowsports Association of Ireland performance director Shane O'Connor.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics took place earlier this evening, with four athletes representing Ireland at the games.
The standard of Irish skiing has been collectively raised, said O'Connor, with Irish athletes now training like professionals.
"It has evolved from the stuff that I did, and people before me like Thos Foley. He probably broke the mould for us. He was the first guy who tried to do it as a semi-pro," said Mr O'Connor, who represented Ireland in five World Championships and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
The Ski Club of Ireland has a youth race team that train on the dry ski slope in Kilternan in Dublin, where Olympians like Cormac Comerford started out.
Aaron McElroy visited the club to meet the next generation of athletes.
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