Westminster's Olympic Legacy

Westminster University has a proud legacy of supporting the Olympic spirit and those who dream of competing on the world stage. More than 50 Olympians have pursued their educational aspirations at Westminster, earning degrees along with 16 Olympic medals.

2002 Games and Beyond

During the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics, Westminster housed safety officers on campus. Spring break was expanded to lease campus housing to the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command for most of February 2002. Westminster President Peggy Stock served as a volunteer chairperson at the Salt Palace Convention Center during the games.

Former Westminster University President Bethami Dobkin serves on the Nominations & Governance Committee—one of the Standing Committees under the Utah 2034 Olympic Organizing Committee's Advisory Committees. The committee helps recommend board members and set governance rules for Utah's 2034 Olympics organizing committee.

A University for the Dedicated and Driven

Why have more than 140 elite winter athletes taken classes at Westminster?

Personalized attention—coupled with the university's excellent academic reputation—is what makes Westminster a premiere choice for driven minds. World-class athletes do not have to choose between competing and their education. Dedicated faculty work closely with student-athletes to accommodate their rigorous training and competition schedules by enabling them to balance their challenging course load. Westminster’s proximity to world-class training facilities and ski areas also granted student-athletes the spaces to efficiently juggle studying and training.

Learn about Mountain Sports at Westminster

Westminster's 2026 Milano Cortina Olympians

Westminster students have competed in at least 6 Winter Olympic Games. Most of them as part of a 2005–18 partnership between the university and U.S. Ski & Snowboard. The partnership was renewed in 2025, making Westminster an Official Four-Year College Provider through 2034. Westminster offers an exclusive tuition-grant program for national A–C team athletes.

Westminster cheered for our students and alumni who trained and worked toward the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. 7 Olympians from Westminster represented 4 countries, including 3 current students and 4 alumni.

female olympic skier coming down the mountain

skieer mid flip in the sky on snowy mountainside

Past Olympic Games

2026 Milano Cortina

7 participants
1 bronze and 1 silver

2022 Beijing

18 participants
2 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze

2018 Pyeongchang

18 participants
1 bronze and 1 silver

2014 Sochi

23 participants making up 10% of Team USA
2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze

2010 Vancouver

14 participants
1 bronze

2006 Turin

3 students
0 medals

That’s the thing about Westminster. Just like our coaches, the staff and professors push us to be our best, on and off the slopes. They care deeply about who you are as a person and who you’re becoming beyond your sport. When I walked across the stage at graduation, it felt just as powerful as standing up on that Olympic podium.

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