The following is about the qualification rules and the quota allocation for skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Qualification system
A total of 50 quota spots (25 per gender) will be available to athletes to compete at the games. A maximum of six athletes (three per gender) can be entered by a NOC. Additionally, for the first time, mixed teams can be entered with a maximum of two per NOC and total of twenty teams.
The World Ranking list as of January 18, 2026 will be used to distribute the quotas. Athletes will be ranked by their best seven results. At total of two countries in each gender will qualify the maximum of three athletes, while six countries will qualify two men, (four for women), seven countries will qualify one quota in the men's event and 11 for the women's. If the host nation Italy fails to qualify in an event, the highest ranked sled from the country will take the last qualification slot. For the mixed team event only already qualified individual athletes may compete, with a maximum of two teams per NOC.
An athlete must be ranked in the top 70 (men) or top 55 (women) to be eligible to compete at the games.
Qualification timeline
The IBSF ranking list uses races from the 2025–26 Skeleton World Cup, but also includes results from Asia, Europe, and America cup races. Athletes must have competed in at least eight races across at least three different tracks in the past two seasons, to be eligible.
Quota allocation
The following summary is a provisional breakdown of Olympic qualification after World Cup four of seven, based on the IBSF rankings and adjustments.
Summary
Updated to races on 19 December 2025.
| Nations | Men | Women | Mixed team(s) | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Austria | 2 | 1 | X | 3 |
| Belgium | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Brazil | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Canada | 2 | 2 | 2X | 4 |
| China | 3 | 2 | 2X | 5 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Estonia | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| France | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Germany | 3 | 3 | 2X | 6 |
| Great Britain | 2 | 3 | 2X | 5 |
| Israel | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Italy | 2 | 1 | X | 3 |
| Japan | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Latvia | 1 | 1 | X | 2 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Puerto Rico | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| South Africa | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| South Korea | 2 | 2 | 2X | 4 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| United States | 1 | 2 | X | 3 |
| Total: 23 NOCs | 25 | 25 | 14 | 50 |
Men
| Sleds qualified | Countries | Athletes total | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 6 | China Germany |
| 2 | 6 | 12 | Great Britain Italy South Korea Canada Japan Austria |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | Denmark Ukraine United States France Latvia Australia Israel |
| 25 | 15 | 25 |
Women
| Sleds qualified | Countries | Athletes total | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 6 | Germany Great Britain |
| 2 | 4 | 8 | China United States Canada South Korea |
| 1 | 11 | 11 | Belgium Austria Czech Republic Netherlands Italy Brazil Switzerland Estonia South Africa Puerto Rico Latvia |
| 25 | 17 | 25 |
Next eligible NOC per event
Only NOCs not already qualified are considered. Bolded nations accepted a reallocated quota.
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification, What is Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification? What does Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification mean?