CALGARY – The 2026 Winter Olympic Games officially begin this week, and the University of Calgary Dinos will once again be well represented on the global stage.

A total of 10 individuals who are either former Dinos athletes, coaches or staff are off to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this month.

A trio bring a connection to the Dinos' most recent sport in curling. Program director and co-founder Jocelyn Peterman will compete in mixed doubles with her husband and Dinos' skills coach Brett Gallant. The duo will be coached by former Dinos men's coach and two-time Canada West Coach of the Year Laine Peters. Gallant will also compete for the men's four-man curling team, skipped by Brad Jacobs.

Calgary also has quite a number of connections to hockey at this year's Games.

Gabriella Durante is making the most of her dual citizenship and will play for the host nation of Italy after three years of starring in net for the Dinos. The Calgary native and three-time Academic All-Canadian played in 77 total games for the Scarlet & Gold before moving to Italy over a year ago to pursue this dream. 

One of Durante's former coaches will also be in Italy as former Dinos head coach and current Ottawa Charge bench boss Carla MacLeod leads the Czechia women's national team. MacLeod coached the Dinos for two-plus seasons before moving to the PWHL. She was named the Czechia head coach in April of 2022.

Calgary also has a number of connections with current and former assistant hockey coaches. Current goaltending coach Brad Kirkwood is off to his third Olympics with Canada's National Women's Hockey Team as a goaltending consultant. Joining Kirkwood with the Team Canada women will be former Dinos assistant coaches still on the active international roster in forwards Blayre Turnbull and Emily Clark.

Former Dinos track star Dawn Richardson Wilson returns to the bobsleigh track where she will compete for the second time on the world's biggest stage in 2-woman bobsleigh. Richardson Wilson spent three seasons in the Scarlet & Gold and won three Canada West gold medals in the 60m, while also earning a pair of conference medals and national medals in relay events.

Geoff Carr heads to his second Olympic Games this year, once again serving as a technical official for hockey. Carr is a former UCalgary student and has worked in Dinos Athletics for over two decades in a variety of roles. 


 DINOS AT 2026 OLYMPICS

NAME	DINOS CONNECTION	2026 OLYMPIC GAMES	ASSOCIATION
Geoff Carr	Statistician	Technical Official - Hockey	IIHF
Emily Clark	Assistant Coach - Women's Hockey	Athlete - Women's Hockey	Canada
Gabriella Durante	Goaltender - Women's Hockey	Athlete - Women's Hockey	Italy
Brett Gallant	Skills Coach - Curling	Athlete - Curling Mixed Doubles/Four Man	Canada
Brad Kirkwood	Assistant Coach - Hockey	Assistant Coach - Women's Hockey	Canada
Carla MacLeod	Former Head Coach - Women's Hockey	Head Coach - Women's Hockey	Czechia
Jocelyn Peterman	Program Director - Curling	Athlete - Curling Mixed Doubles	Canada
Laine Peters	Coach - Curling	Coach - Curling Mixed Doubles	Canada
Dawn Richardson Wilson	Sprinter - Track & Field	Athlete - 2-Woman Bobsleign	Canada
Blayre Turnbull	Assistant Coach - Hockey	Athlete - Women's Hockey	Canada

-UC-