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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Winter Olympics application window is openPublished Oct. 29, 2022
                    
                    By Armando Perez
                    
                    
                    Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS)  --**Time is running out for Airmen, Guardians, Reservists and Guardsmen who dream of representing the Department of the Air Force in the next Winter Olympics.

Guardian and Airmen athletes have until Nov. 7 to apply for the DAF World Class Athlete Program, or WCAP, managed by the **Air Force Services Center** and begin their training with the hopes of competing in Milano Cortina, Italy, in 2026.WCAP graphicGuardian and Airmen athletes have until Nov. 7, 2022, to apply for the Department of the Air Force World Class Athlete Program and begin their training to compete in the Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina, Italy, 2026. (U.S. Air Force graphic illustration by Greg Hand)
            
            
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Once accepted into the program, athletes train full-time for the chance to represent the DAF and the nation on the world stage. 

Throughout the program’s 28-year history, 12 Air Force WCAP members have made the Olympic team with the most recent being Airman 1st Class Kelly Curtis, the **first female Airman** to make the Winter Olympic team in 24 years.

“This experience has been too good to be true, the support you receive from the Air Force Services Center and WCAP has allowed me to progress in my sport in such a short amount of time,” Curtis said. “Being able to compete in the Olympics would not have been possible without the support of WCAP and my family.”

Established in 1995, Air Force WCAP continues the legacy of Tuskegee Airman Malvin G. Whitfield. Whitfield, a Korean War tail gunner, became the first active-duty American service member to win Olympic gold in 1952 in Helsinki.

“Within the Air Force and **Space Force**, there are elite athletes who require dedicated and quality training regiments to improve their chances of making the Olympic team,” said Dale Filsell, DAF WCAP program manager.  “WCAP allows them the opportunity to dedicate the next three years to achieve their goal of making the Olympics.”

Although WCAP athletes train full-time in their given sport, they are also required to complete all annual and ancillary training, professional military education, fitness assessments and other mandatory tasks required of all Airmen.

“Active-duty Airmen and Guardians are eligible for WCAP. Applications must route through the athlete’s career field manager, commander, and senior rater for release from the career field and endorsement to apply,” said Maj. Aaron Tissot, AFSVC fitness and sports chief. “Additionally, applicants need an endorsement from their sport’s national governing body, which verifies the potential to make Team USA.”

Interested Airmen and Guardians can apply or find out more by visiting **www.myairforcelife.com** or e-mailing **AFSVC.WCAP.Workflow@us.af.mil**.FS 



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