Alpine skiers Tess Arbez and Patrick McMillian, cross country skier, Thomas Westgard, half pipe skier Brendan 'Bubba' Newby and snowboarder Seamus O’Connor have been confirmed by the Olympic Council of Ireland as the five athletes who have qualified to represent Ireland at the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The team flies out to South Korea on Tuesday morning, allowing them a full week to prepare, train and acclimatise to conditions ahead of the opening ceremony on the 9 February.

For each of these athletes, reaching the Winter Olympics is the culmination of an arduous four-year campaign. 

"I am delighted that Ireland has five athletes representing and competing for Ireland at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang," said President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Sarah Keane.

"That every member of Team Ireland has qualified for the first time by achieving the 'A' qualification standard is testament to their talent and dedication as well as the hard work and support provided by Snow Sports Ireland, its members and volunteers.

"On behalf of all of us involved with the OCI, we wish Bubba, Patrick, Tess, Thomas and Seamus the very best of luck in PyeongChang. We hope they perform to the best of their ability and they enjoy their Olympic experience." 

MEET THE TEAM

Tess Arbez

Age: 19 

Discipline: Alpine Ski (Slalom), Giant Slalom

Born: France, she represented Ireland at the 2017 Alpine World Championships.

Experience: Arbez finished 29th in the World Junior Championships in Sochi, 2016. She’s hoping to begin a Bachelor of Law Degree in the autumn.

Patrick McMillan

Age: 25 

Discipline: Alpine Ski (Giant Slalom), Super-G & Downhill

Born: Letterkenny, Donegal. Currently living and training in Austria.

Experience: McMillan represented Ireland at the 2015 Alpine World Championships in Colorado and 2017 Alpine World Championships in St Moritz, Switzerland.

Thomas Westgard

Age: 21 

Discipline: Cross-Country Skiing

Born: Norway. He has represented Ireland at the 2017 FIS Nordic World Championships in Lahti.

Brendan Newby

Age: 21 

Discipline: Freeski (Half Pipe)

Born: Ireland, currently lives and trains in Utah, USA.

Experience: Newby won the USASA Nationals Overall category two years in a row and finished in 25th place at the 2017 FIS World Championship.

Seamus O’Connor

Age: 20

Discipline: Snowboarding (Half Pipe)

Born: In America. O'Connor competed for Ireland at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Experience: Finished in 10th place at the 2015 Slopestyle World Championships in Kreischberg, Austria 

RTÉ 2 will broadcast a nightly highlights show from South Korea next month, hosted by Clare McNamara, starting on Satyrday February 10.