Arif Khan is competing at his second Winter Olympics at Milano-Cortina 2026
He made history at Beijing 2022 as India’s first alpine skier to qualify for two events at a single Games
The Gulmarg-born skier secured a Milano-Cortina 2026 quota in slalom
The Winter Olympics 2026 opening ceremony took place on Friday in Milano-Cortina, Italy, with India being represented by just two athletes in the event. Among them is alpine skier Arif Khan, who is returning to the Olympic stage after making his debut at Beijing 2022.
Born on March 9, 1990, in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, Arif Mohammad Khan is an alpine skier specialising in slalom and giant slalom. He gained recognition at the 2011 South Asian Winter Games, winning gold medals in both events.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Arif became the first Indian Alpine skier to qualify for two events at a single Games. He finished 45th in the giant slalom – the best-ever result by an Indian in that event. However, he couldn’t complete his slalom run.
Despite limited winter sports infrastructure in India, Arif has competed in multiple Alpine World Championships between 2013 and 2025.
Qualification For Milano-Cortina 2026
For the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Arif secured a quota place in slalomwith multiple results under the required FIS points threshold at international events in places like Dubai and Romania. The men’s Alpine skiing events will be conducted at the Stelvio Ski Centre.
Arif’s journey is closely tied to Gulmarg. Introduced to snow sports at a young age, he went from skiing for fun to competitive Alpine events through sheer hard work. For that, the 35-year-old has been awarded by the Jammu and Kashmir government.
