2026 Winter Olympics – Your Complete Guide to the Milan-Cortina Games

The 25th edition of the 2026 winter olympics Games took place in Italy, marking the country’s third time hosting the Winter Games after Cortina 1956 and Turin 2006. With approximately 2,900 athletes from 92 nations competing in 16 sports, the Milan-Cortina Games set records for participation, gender balance, and geographic spread .

This guide covers everything you need to know—from key dates and venues to new sports, medal events, and the final results.

When and Where Were the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Key Dates

EventDateCompetition beganFebruary 4, 2026 (curling) Opening CeremonyFebruary 6, 2026 First gold medalsFebruary 7, 2026 Closing CeremonyFebruary 22, 2026

Host Cities and Venue Clusters

For the first time in Olympic history, two cities officially shared hosting duties . The Games were divided into four main clusters:

ClusterKey VenuesSports HostedMilanSan Siro Stadium (Opening Ceremony)Figure skating, speed skating, short track, ice hockey ValtellinaBormio, LivignoAlpine skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboard CortinaCortina d’AmpezzoSliding events (bobsled, luge, skeleton), curling Val di FiemmePredazzo, TeseroSki jumping, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined

A Historic First: Two Olympic Cauldrons

For the first time in Games history, two identical Olympic cauldrons were lit simultaneously—one at the Arco della Pace in Milan and another at Piazza Angelo Dibona in Cortina, approximately 250 kilometers apart . Italian skiing legends Deborah Compagnoni and Alberto Tomba lit the Milan cauldron, while Sofia Goggia handled the honors in Cortina .

New Sports and Events at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Ski Mountaineering (Skimo) Made Its Olympic Debut

The last time the Winter Olympics introduced a new sport was skeleton in 2002. That 24-year streak ended with the debut of ski mountaineering (often called “skimo”) at Milan-Cortina .

Skimo medal events:

• Women’s sprint
• Men’s sprint
• Mixed relay

8 New Medal Events Introduced

In addition to skimo, the Games featured five other new events across various sports :

EventSportFormatWomen’s doubles lugeLugeFirst time women had doubles eventWomen’s individual large hillSki jumpingFirst time women jumped from the large hillMixed team skeletonSkeletonOne woman + one man, back-to-back runsDual mogulsFreestyle skiingHead-to-head bracket eliminationTeam combinedAlpine skiingOne skier downhill + one skier slalom

Gender Balance Milestone

Milan-Cortina was the most gender-balanced Winter Games in history :

• 50 women’s events (a Winter Games record)
• Women made up 47% of athletes (up from 45% in Beijing 2022)
• 12 mixed-gender events on the program

Record Number of Medal Events

With all additions combined, the 2026 Winter Olympics featured 116 medal events across 16 sports—a Winter Games record .

Sports and Competition Schedule

Full Sports List (16 Sports)

SportDatesAlpine SkiingFebruary 4–18 BiathlonFebruary 9–12 BobsledFebruary 12–22 Cross-Country SkiingFebruary 7–22 CurlingFebruary 5–16 Figure SkatingFebruary 6–21 Freestyle SkiingFebruary 6–12 Ice HockeyFebruary 5–22 LugeFebruary 4–12 Nordic CombinedFebruary 9–19 Short Track Speed SkatingFebruary 10–20 SkeletonFebruary 9–15 Ski Mountaineering (NEW)February 19–21 Ski JumpingFebruary 5–16 SnowboardingFebruary 5–18 Speed SkatingFebruary 7–21

Key Gold Medal Dates

• February 7: First gold medals awarded
• February 8: Women’s alpine skiing downhill
• February 13: Men’s figure skating
• February 18: Women’s alpine skiing slalom
• February 19: Women’s figure skating, women’s ice hockey gold medal game, first skimo golds
• February 22: Men’s ice hockey gold medal game, Closing Ceremony

Final Medal Table

Norway dominated the 2026 Winter Olympics, topping the medal table with 18 gold medals—their highest total ever .

RankCountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal1Norway18121141 2United States1212933 3Italy1061430 4Germany810826 5Japan571224 6France89623 7Switzerland69823 8Canada57921 9Netherlands107320 10Sweden86418

Notable achievements:

• Norwegian athlete Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo made history by winning six gold medals in a single tournament .
• American athlete Elana Meyers Taylor, at age 41, became the oldest individual champion in Winter Olympics history .
• The US men’s and women’s ice hockey teams both won gold, defeating Canada in both finals .
• Host nation Italy finished 4th overall with 10 gold medals .
• A total of 29 sports delegations won medals, including 20 with gold medals .

Athletes and Participation

Record-Breaking Teams

• USA: 232 athletes—the largest U.S. Winter Olympic team ever, surpassing the 228 athletes in PyeongChang 2018 .
• Japan: 121 athletes .
• Russia/Belarus: Athletes competed under a neutral designation (AIN), without national flags or anthems . Thirteen Russian athletes competed, with Nikita Filippov winning silver in the men’s ski mountaineering sprint .

International Olympic Committee Leadership

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe oversaw her first Games as IOC President—the first woman and first African to hold the role, having taken over from Thomas Bach in June 2025 . In her opening ceremony speech, she said: “The spirit of the Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. It is about us—and what makes us human” .

Opening and Closing Ceremony Highlights

Opening Ceremony (February 6)

The ceremony broke new ground:

• First-ever four-location ceremony: The athletes’ parade and celebrations took place simultaneously in Milan, Livigno, Predazzo, and Cortina .
• San Siro Stadium hosted the main ceremony, home of AC Milan and Inter Milan .
• Mariah Carey performed as one of the headline acts .
• Tadatoshi Akiba, former Hiroshima mayor and nuclear disarmament advocate, was honored as an Olympic flag bearer .

Closing Ceremony (February 22)

The Closing Ceremony was held at the iconic Verona Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater .

Why the 2026 Games Mattered

Beyond the medal counts and athletic achievements, Milan-Cortina represented several “firsts” that will shape the future of the Winter Olympics:

1. Geographic reach: The most spread-out Winter Games in history, covering nearly 8,500 square miles
2. Dual-host model: First time two cities officially shared hosting status
3. Gender progress: Most women’s events and most balanced athlete representation ever
4. New sport: Ski mountaineering brought a fresh discipline after 24 years
5. Record medals: 116 events—most in Winter Games history
6. Full crowds welcomed back: After COVID-limited Beijing 2022

FAQs About the 2026 Winter Olympics

When did the 2026 Winter Olympics take place?

Competition began on February 4, 2026 with curling. The official Opening Ceremony was held on February 6, and the Games concluded on February 22 .

Where were the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The Games were co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in northern Italy, with events spread across four clusters: Milan, Valtellina (Bormio/Livigno), Cortina, and Val di Fiemme .

What new sport debuted at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut, featuring sprint and mixed relay events .

Which country won the most medals?

Norway topped the medal table with 41 total medals (18 gold, 12 silver, 11 bronze) .

Who was the most successful athlete?

Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won six gold medals in a single tournament .

Where was the Closing Ceremony?

The Closing Ceremony was held on February 22 at the Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater .

Conclusion: Milan-Cortina 2026 in Perspective

The 2026 Winter Olympics represented a pivotal moment for the Olympic movement. With record participation, unprecedented gender balance, and a new sport making its debut, the Milan-Cortina Games celebrated winter sport’s present while pointing toward its future.

From the dual cauldrons burning in Milan and Cortina to the historic four-location opening ceremony, these Games wrote themselves into Olympic history. Norway’s dominance, the US ice hockey double gold, and record-breaking individual performances ensured the 25th Winter Olympics will be remembered as one of the most memorable editions yet.