Defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony and fellow moguls medallist Matt Graham will lead the Australian team as the flag bearers at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
The team announcement was made on Wednesday morning, two days out from the main opening ceremony at Milan's San Siro Olympic Stadium.
For the first time, the opening event will be spread across four locations with the star moguls duo to lead the Australian contingent marching in Livigno, a northern Italian town in the alps near the Swiss border.
As well as freestyle skiers, which includes aerialists and freeski competitors, the snowboarders are also competing in Livigno.
With the Games the most spread out in Winter Olympics history, Australian ice skaters are set to march in the opening ceremony in Milan while cross country skiers are located in Predazzo and sliders in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Competing at her third Games, Anthony will look to become the first Australian to successfully defend a Winter Olympic title after storming to gold in the women's moguls in Beijing four years ago.
Graham, 31, is lining up for his fourth Games and hunting his second medal after pocketing silver in the men's event in PyeongChang in 2018.
Team chef de mission Alisa Camplin announced the popular pair at a ceremony in Livigno, saying Anthony was an inspiration to many young athletes.
“I am thrilled to name Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham as our 2026 Australian Winter Olympic team flag bearers,” Camplin said.
“Jakara Anthony is the epitome of poise and excellence. Her measured yet dogged pursuit of perfection has set her apart from her competitors for an entire Olympiad.
"There are athletes in our team who saw Jakara win gold in Beijing, and it sparked their Olympic dreams.
"Jakara is in a league of her own - role model, Olympic champion and a young Australian who sets her sights on something and doesn't give up. I am so proud to name her flag bearer."
Camplin also praised the leadership and resilience of Graham, who competed in Beijing with a fractured collarbone.
"Matt is a long-term leader in this team and competes with sheer grit and sportsmanly grace," said Camplin, who won gold in the aerials in 2022 and bronze four years later.
"He has done it all - the hungry debutant in Sochi, the silver medallist in PyeongChang and an injury comeback for Beijing - on paper that's more than enough to become flag bearer.
"But what I love about Matt, is how he always lifts the team and carries the Aussie spirit when he competes. He deservedly carries the Australian flag into the Milan-Cortina opening ceremony.”
While Milan is the focal point for the opening ceremony, where global stars Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli will perform, elements of the ceremony will be broadcast from the parade of athletes in the other three locations.
In a historic first, two official cauldrons will burn simultaneously: one in Milan's Arco della Pace and one in Cortina's Dibona Square.
