Minister for Sport Mark Arbib today congratulated the Australian Winter Youth Olympic team on its great performance, including winning two medals, at the inaugural games in Innsbruck, Austria.

Senator Arbib said more than 1,000 athletes aged 14 to 18 from 67 nations competed in winter sports including biathlon, bobsleigh, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing.

'All Australian athletes who competed should be proud of their results and the way they represented their country,' Senator Arbib said.

I’d like to congratulate Alex Fitch on winning bronze in the women’s snowboard slopestyle and Sharnita Crompton on winning bronze in the ice hockey skills challenge.

'The Australian team exceeded expectations with some fantastic results including eight top 10 results in addition to the two medals.

'The Games featured 13 of our best young athletes showcasing their talents on the global stage.

'Based on our results, the future looks very bright for Australia in winter sports.'

Senator Arbib also congratulated Chef de Mission and former Winter Olympic Gold Medallist Alisa Camplin on providing the inspiration and leadership behind the results.

'The inaugural Winter Youth Olympics has given Australia’s young athletes a great opportunity to increase their chances of one day representing Australia at the Winter Olympics,' Senator Arbib said.

AOC President John Coates AC was also very enthusiastic about the results.

'The results again highlight our continued success in Winter sport. Congratulations to our entire Team in Innsbruck for the way they competed and conducted themselves under the leadership of Alisa Camplin. Also we are excited about our prospects at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where we believe we have a realistic chance of five medals,' Mr Coates said.

The Australian Government is a strong supporter of Winter Sports, providing more than $2.7 million in annual High Performance funding to the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, Ski and Snowboard Australia and Ice Racing Australia.