2022 Snow Australia awards to celebrate Olympic and Paralympic athletes

Snow Australia has announced that its 2022 Awards will be held in Melbourne on Thursday 28th April.

The Awards will be presented in the aftermath of the nation's record-breaking performance at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Australia amassed four medals - one gold, two silver and one bronze - at the Games.

Mogul skier Jakara Anthony broke through to claim Australia’s first gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 12 years, complemented by a record nine top-six finishes and numerous personal bests.

Australia's depth in winter sport also saw debuts in sports such as curling and monobob.

Australian Sports Commission Chair, Josephine Sukkar said Australia’s winter athletes had overcome enormous challenges and thrived on the world stage, noting "we’re always building for the future too, so preparations for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics are already underway and we’ll confirm funding by the end of 2022."

By contrast, the nation has recorded its worst Winter Paralympics medal haul since 1988, with Ben Tudhope's para snowboard bronze the only medal the team had to show for their time in China.

Both Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin and Snow Australia Chief Executive Michael Kennedy defended the tally and stressed the performance had to be assessed with the context of COVID's impact on the team, compared to their overseas competitors.

Most of Australia's team members, bar Tudhope, were unable to travel overseas for competition until December while border closures and lockdowns also closed local ski resorts.

McLoughlin noted "we have to be fairly pragmatic about it because you really do need time on snow to bed down your skills and our team simply haven't had enough time on snow.

"Success can present itself in many, many different ways. When you look at what our team have done this Games, there's a lot to be incredibly proud of considering the challenges they've all faced."

Snow Australia is accountable for the performance element of the Winter Paralympics team and Kennedy said the medal tally met "tempered" expectations.

Previous Snow Award Athletes of the Year

2021 Laura Peel (aerial skiing) and Belle Brockhoff/Jarryd Hughes (snowboard cross Teams) and Ben Tudhope (para snowboard)
2020 Laura Peel (aerial skiing), Scotty James (snowboard Halfpipe), Ben Tudhope (para snowboard)
2019 Scotty James (snowboard halfpipe) & Melissa Perrine/Bobbi Kelly (para alpine)
2018 Jarryd Hughes (snowboard cross), Matt Graham (mogul skiing) & Simon Patmore (para snowboard)
2017 Scotty James (snowboard halfpipe), Britt Cox (mogul skiing) & Mitch Gourley (para alpine)
2016 Matt Graham (mogul skiing) & Mitch Gourley (para alpine)
2015 Laura Peel (aerial skiing) & Scotty James (snowboard halfpipe)
2014 Torah Bright (snowboard halfpipe) & David Morris (aerial skiing)
2013 Alex Pullin (snowboard cross)
2012 Nate Johnstone (snowboard halfpipe)
2011 Nate Johnstone & Holly Crawford (snowboard halfpipe), Alex Pullin (snowboard cross) & Anna Segal (ski slopestyle)
2010 Lydia Lassila (aerial skiing) & Torah Bright (snowboard halfpipe)
2009 Lydia Lassila (aerial skiing)
2008 Jacqui Cooper (aerial skiing)
2007 Dale Begg-Smith (mogul skiing)
2006 Dale Begg-Smith (mogul skiing)
2005 Dale Begg-Smith (mogul skiing)
2004 Alisa Camplin (aerial skiing)