The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and the Ski Association of Japan announced on January 20 the 52 athletes selected for Japan’s ski and snowboard team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. In men’s ski jumping, ace Ryoyu Kobayashi (Team ROY) secured his spot on the roster, earning a third consecutive Olympic selection following PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022.
Team announcement and the race for Japan’s three men’s ski jumping spots
In this announcement, 52 athletes across skiing and snowboarding were selected, and Ryoyu Kobayashi’s name was among them for men’s ski jumping. Japan has three quota places in men’s ski jumping, contested by three athletes: Ryoyu Kobayashi, Ren Nikaido (Japan Brewery), and Naoki Nakamura (Flying Laboratory).
On January 18, the JOC’s official website reported that all designated selection events set by the Ski Association of Japan had concluded, and that these three athletes had met the dispatch recommendation criteria—stating that their selection was “all but assured.” Two days later, at the full team announcement on the 20th, their names were officially listed as members headed to Milano Cortina.
Sapporo World Cup delivers “selection assured” — clutch jumps when it mattered
The key stretch of the selection process came at Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium in Sapporo, during Individual competitions No. 17 and No. 18 of the 2025–26 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season. In No. 17, Naoki Nakamura finished a career-best second, Ren Nikaido placed third, and Ryoyu Kobayashi also landed in fifth—an excellent collective result with Japan’s jumpers all near the top.
In the following Individual No. 18 on the 18th, Kobayashi produced two powerful jumps—136.5 meters in the first round and 138.5 meters in the second—to claim another podium with a second-place finish. By delivering steady results across the selection series, he effectively sealed the recommendation standard. After the event, he smiled and said, “It doesn’t feel real yet, but I’m just really looking forward to it,” resetting his focus toward a third straight Olympics.
Men’s Ski Jumping — Japan’s three Olympic representatives
| Athlete | Affiliation | Olympic history |
|---|---|---|
| Ryoyu Kobayashi | Team ROY | Selected for a third straight Olympics (following PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022). At Beijing 2022: gold in Men’s Normal Hill / silver in Men’s Large Hill. |
| Naoki Nakamura | Flying Laboratory | Second consecutive Olympics (his second Games following Beijing 2022). |
| Ren Nikaido | Japan Brewery | Olympic debut (a rising star who claimed his first World Cup win this season). |
Third Olympics as a reigning Olympic champion
Ryoyu Kobayashi is an active Olympic champion: at Beijing 2022 he became the third Japanese man to win individual Olympic gold, taking the title in the Normal Hill, and he also earned silver in the Large Hill. He has continued to battle for podiums on the World Cup circuit this season, and his world-class consistency remains intact. In Milano Cortina, he is expected to target up to four events, aiming to stun the world once again with a “big jump.”
At the same time, he consistently emphasizes that “nothing is guaranteed,” keeping his focus on the quality of his jumping rather than on outcomes. A 29-year-old who combines the composure of an Olympian shaped by PyeongChang and Beijing with the mentality of a perpetual challenger—attention will be on what kind of arc he draws across the Italian sky.
Check the official videos & posts featuring Ryoyu Kobayashi
You can also follow the team announcement news and Kobayashi’s latest comments via posts and videos from TEAM JAPAN and official event channels. If embeds do not display, please click the links to view them.
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