“I think it’s the inkling of maybe that keeps us going,” Shaun White teased in 2024. The five-time Olympian and a 3-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding retired in 2022, but has been sprinkling some hints that he could come out of retirement, much like Lindsey Vonn. He also holds the world record for the most X Games gold medals and most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder. Has the 39-year-old returned to the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics? Let’s dive in. 

Is Shaun White Participating In the Winter Olympics? Know the truth about the former Olympian

No, unfortunately for fans, Shaun White is not participating in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. He remains retired, for now. “Oh, my goodness. Did you see me do this? That was just my back,” White joked in an interview with PEOPLE. “It would take a lot of stretching… A lot of red light therapy.” He went on to explain what it would take for him to return to the ice. 

“It would take some weird breakthrough, of like, me seeing something and getting really inspired, because you got to push everything aside and just make this thing your life’s focus… and there’s so much going on in my world,” he says.

White has been happy with his decision to retire and ventured into business, founding the Snow League. The contest provides what he believes has been missing from the sport: better salaries, a more relatable television broadcast, and a cohesive championship.

“Shaun is bringing in new sponsors and a lot of visibility and opportunities for us,” says 19-year-old Bea Kim, who was recently named to her first U.S. Olympic halfpipe team. “He wants to know what the athletes think, so the sport will go in the direction that we want it to go.” With this impressive project in White’s hand, he admitted it would be something very extreme that would nudge him to return. 

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“I’m just so thrilled to focus on other things than what I’ve focused on since I was like, 7, to I guess a pro at 13. Yeah, I don’t know, it would take a lot,” he explained. While he is not a competitor, he is still an essential cog in the wheel of Milano Cortina 2026. 

If he is not participating, then what is he doing at the Olympics? Know Shaun White’s current role and responsibilities 

Shaun White is still contributing to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics despite retiring from competition. The legendary snowboarder is serving as an expert commentator on NBC for the Olympic Games in Italy. He was on air at the opening ceremony on February 6 at San Siro Stadium in Milan. 

“I was so thrilled to hear that Italy was taking on this Olympics, just because I had such an incredible time in (in 2006) and I knew this would deliver on that magnitude,” said White during the broadcast, per NBC Sports. “To be back here 20 years later is just incredible.”

Some criticised White online, but he remained in good spirits after his first stint. “6th opening ceremony, 1st time broadcasting,” White wrote on TikTok alongside a short clip of the event before flipping the camera around to show himself wearing a headset. “Thank you for watching tonight everyone, thank you @NBC Olympics & Paralympics, this one was special.”

He will continue providing insight on the mic. However, he is not expected to be a part of every event and has specific assignments from NBC. 

“This is all an exciting time for me, from announcing and being a part of the Olympics in this new way,” White told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview, discussing his new roles. “I am excited to take it all in. See the different events like ice skating, skiing, half pipe, big air, obviously snowboarding. I’m just going to try to see everything honestly, that’s my goal.”

After this appearance on the mic, maybe White will continue appearing in broadcasting stints at other events, providing his expert insight and analysis.