Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls earn their spot on Team Visa

The steady drumbeat of excitement around the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 continues with Visa’s announcement of its Team Visa athletes. The Olympians, Paralympians and PyeongChang 2018 hopefuls represent a diverse group of winter sport athletes, from snowboarders and speed skaters to ski jumpers and ice hockey players. In just a few months, they’ll gather in the mountains of South Korea to test their skills and chase lifelong dreams on the world stage. 

“We are excited to welcome all of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to Team Visa,” said Chris Curtin, chief marketing innovation and brand officer at Visa, of Visa’s sponsored athletes.

Since 2000, Team Visa has given aspiring athletes the support they need to pursue their goals, both on and off the field of competition, regardless of origin or background. In talent as well as character, its members represent Visa’s values of acceptance, partnership and inclusion.  

Each athlete in the Team Visa program is selected based on their personal journey, competitive achievements and community involvement. This group includes trailblazers such as Mikaela Shiffrin, who became the youngest American Alpine Olympic gold medalist and the youngest Olympic gold medalist in slalom at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014; Halfpipe and Slopestyle Ski contender Gus Kenworthy, the first openly gay action sports athlete who won silver at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014; Para cross-country skier and Para biathlete Oksana Masters, who won two medals at Sochi 2014 and one in London 2012, will look to add more medals to her collection, after also competing in London in 2012 (Rowing) and in Rio in 2016 (Cycling); and Lee Sang-Hwa, already a two-time Olympic gold medalist, who will look to be the hero in front of the hometown crowd in South Korea. 

Find the Team Visa roster for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 here, and learn more about Visa’s 32 years of avid support of and commitment to the Olympic Movement, as we countdown the days leading up to February’s opening ceremony.