Australia at the 2006 Winter Olympics
| Australia at the 2006 Winter Olympics |
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| IOC code | AUS | ||||||||
| NOC | Australian Olympic Committee | ||||||||
| Website | www |
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| in Turin | |||||||||
| Competitors | 40 (23 men, 17 women) in 10 sports | ||||||||
| Flag bearer |
Alisa Camplin (opening) Dale Begg-Smith (closing) |
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Medals Ranked 17th |
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| Winter Olympics appearances (overview) | |||||||||
| Other related appearances | |||||||||
1906 Intercalated Games Australasia (1908–1912) |
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Australia competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The team of 40 athletes was the largest ever for Australia, surpassing the team of 31 that participated at the 1960 Winter Olympics.
Prior to the Olympics, Australia had set a goal of winning one medal. They were able to win two medals – one gold and one bronze – and had several other top 10 finishes.
Alisa Camplin served as flag bearer at the opening ceremonies.
Five Australian skiers competed in Turin, but only one, Craig Branch, finished a run. Branch was the first starter for the men's downhill, and his 32nd place was the highest finish for an Australian alpine skier since Calgary '88.
Note: In the men's combined, runs 1 is the downhill, and runs 2 and 3 are the slalom. In the women's combined, run 1 and 2 are the slalom, and run 3 the downhill.
Cameron Morton, a primary school principal, and the only Australian biathlete in Turin, was aiming for a top-fifty finish, but failed to make the top 80 in either of his two events. He was the fifth Australian to compete in an Olympic biathlon.
The men's pair of Rolleston and McKenzie equalled the best Australian finish in the event by placing 22nd, while Loch-Wilkinson and Reed were the first to represent the country in women's bobsleigh. Australia also attempted to enter a four-man team in Turin, appealing to the IOC and the CAS after it was revealed a Brazilian athlete had tested positive for nandrolone in a pre-Olympic test. The athlete in question had competed in a qualifying race won by Brazil, with New Zealand second and Australia third, with the top two teams advancing. The disqualification of the Brazilian entry from that race could have allowed Australia to compete, but the IOC, FIBT and CAS rejected the appeal.
Australia sent 3 skiers to compete in the cross country events, its largest contingent at a Winter Olympics.
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