Milan-Cortina, February 6, 2026 – Lore Baudrit, captain of the French women’s national hockey team, has been selected to participate in her first Olympic Games, marking a historic moment as the entire French women’s team will compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time.
A Dream Realized for ‘Les bleues’
The French women’s hockey team, drafted into the competition following Russia’s suspension, is poised to make its Olympic debut in February.
Baudrit, who has captained ‘Les Bleues’ since 2022, expressed immense pride in qualifying for the Games. “It’s an immense pride to be qualified,” she said in August. “We were drafted after the exclusion of Russia, but we had deserved this place (the Bleues had finished best 2es of the Olympic qualifying tournament, editor’s note). I admit that I had long believed that I would never have this chance.”
Did you know? – Women’s ice hockey debuted at the Winter Olympics in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Canada and the United States have dominated the sport, winning all gold medals awarded to date.
What led to France’s inclusion in the Olympic tournament? The French team was included in the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games after the International Olympic Committee suspended the Russian teams due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The decision to include the French team, along with other nations, came at the end of May following the suspension of Russian teams as part of broader sporting sanctions related to the conflict in Ukraine. The Tricolores will open their olympic campaign on February 5 against Italy. Their schedule continues with matches against Japan on February 6, Sweden on February 8, and Germany on February 9. The top three teams in the group will advance to the quarterfinal round.
Les Bleues Aim for Quarterfinals
Currently,France is considered the fourth-strongest team in their group,slightly ahead of Italy. Baudrit stated the team’s ambitions are “realistic,” aiming to reach the quarter-finals and compete to the best of their ability in every match. The Ingolstadt striker leads a team hoping to make a strong first impression on the
Pro tip – Olympic group play uses a round-robin format. This means each team plays every other team in their group once, ensuring a fair assessment of standings.
