2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina: What to expect from the host cities and venues

The 2026 Winter Olympics are just a year away, and excitement is building as Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo prepare to host the winter sports spectacle.

The Games officially begin on February 6, 2026, with a grand Opening Ceremony at Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium. But the action starts even earlier, with competition kicking off on February 4. Over 16 days, athletes will battle for 116 gold medals.

The event will culminate with a Closing Ceremony at the Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheatre.

Cortina and the preparations

Cortina, a breathtaking mountain resort, will host alpine skiing, biathlon, curling, bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

However, with just one year to go, construction is still underway, and time is running short. The sliding track in Cortina is only half-completed, and the IOC has set a deadline at the end of March for it to pass pre-certification tests. If it fails, the sliding events could be relocated to Lake Placid, New York.

Despite concerns, organisers remain optimistic that the track will be ready in time.

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What’s new for 2026?

Milan-Cortina 2026 will introduce one new sport and six new events.

Ski mountaineering makes its Olympic debut, featuring athletes racing up and down a mountain, alternating between skis and foot. This sport is popular in the Alps, where European athletes have dominated in the past.

Women’s doubles luge joins the programme, bringing another event to the luge competition. American lugers Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby are among the top contenders for a medal.

Women’s large hill ski jumping will become the second women’s ski jumping event. This addition ensures that men and women will now have an equal number of individual events in ski jumping.

Mixed team skeleton also debuts at the Games, expanding the number of mixed-gender events in the Olympics.

In alpine skiing, the team combined event will replace the individual combined event. In this new format, teams of two skiers will compete, with their combined times determining the final rankings.

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In freestyle skiing, skiers will race head-to-head in an elimination format. Though it has been part of the World Championships, this will be its first appearance at the Olympic Games.

FAQs:

1. Will the 2026 Winter Olympics be held in one location?
No, the Games will be spread across two main locations: Milan for urban events and Cortina for the alpine and sliding events, with a distance of 160 miles between them.

2. What new sports or events are being introduced?
New events include ski mountaineering, women's doubles luge, women's large hill ski jumping, and mixed team skeleton, along with new formats in alpine skiing and freestyle skiing.