Winter Olympics: Callout For Kiwis To Hype Their Heroes

From this weekend, all eyes are on Italy as the XXV Olympic Winter Games kick off in Milano Cortina, Italy.

This year New Zealand has 17 athletes taking on the world’s best and New Zealanders are being urged to show their support with the launch of Hype Your Heroes, a platform created to rally messages from fans at home and deliver them directly to our Winter Olympians.

For the first time, fans can upload messages directly to a community wall that athletes can access on the go via a QR code built into their jackets.

Whether you’re sending love from a summer hike, the office, or a sunny beach, your message will make it all the way to the snowy Alps.

All formats are welcome, from video hype, photos and kids’ drawings to written messages.

The messages will live broadcast at the Olympic Village, and each athlete will carry a code woven into the inside of their opening ceremony and podium jackets. A quick scan will take them directly to the Hype Your Heroes platform, where they can see, hear, and feel the support from Aotearoa.

Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Olympian for the New Zealand Team Mischa Thomas can’t wait to follow the hype:

“Hearing the support from home, knowing everyone is backing us, you can’t beat it. It reminds us of who we’re doing this for, and you feel unbeatable.”

Kathmandu, the exclusive apparel partner for the New Zealand Team, is driving the initiative with CEO Megan Welch saying the platform is all about rallying the team of five million behind athletes.

“Our 17 Winter Olympians are stepping onto the world stage, far from home, and a small message of support can have a big impact in those high-pressure moments.

“New Zealanders naturally rally behind the Fern. That wave of support - the black jerseys, late nights, people cheering from living rooms and workplaces - it matters so much.

“This integration of technology and apparel gives fans a direct, meaningful way to send their support exactly when athletes need it most,” Welch says.

The Winter Olympics uniforms, designed by Kathmandu, were unveiled in December 2025.

All New Zealanders are invited to submit messages right now ahead of the Olympic Winter Games kicking off this week.

Videos, messages and images should be uploaded here: https://www.kathmandu.co.nz/pages/hype-your-heroes-winter-games

The first New Zealanders to compete are our Men’s Snowboard Big Air athletes on February 5th (NZT).

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