Milan Cortina Winter Olympics 2026: Overview of Events, New Sports, and Key Athletes

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are set to be a significant event, hosting approximately 3,000 athletes competing across 16 disciplines in 116 medal events. The Games will span approximately two and a half weeks, with competitions taking place at venues across northern Italy, concluding with the closing ceremony on February 22. This edition will mark the return of NHL players to Olympic ice hockey for the first time in over a decade and introduce eight new medal events, including ski mountaineering as a new sport.

The 2026 Games mark the return of NHL players to Olympic ice hockey and the debut of ski mountaineering, promising a dynamic and expanded program.

Event Overview and Schedule

The Olympic program is structured to feature a range of winter sports, with initial competitions beginning in early February and medal events scheduled throughout the period. Key sports include Alpine skiing, biathlon, luge, figure skating, and snowboarding, alongside the debut of ski mountaineering.

Selected Event Start Dates

• Freestyle Skiing: February 7
• Alpine Skiing: Women's competition on February 8, Men's competition on Saturday (implies early in the games)
• Biathlon: Mixed relay competitions on February 8
• Cross-Country Skiing: February 8
• Speedskating: Men's program on February 8, Women's 1,000m on February 9
• Snowboarding: February 8
• Luge: Women's singles on February 9, Men's singles on Saturday
• Nordic Combined: February 9
• Figure Skating: Team event on Friday
• Short Track Speedskating: Women's competition on February 10, Men's competition on February 14
• Ice Hockey: Women's tournament begins Thursday, Men's tournament begins February 11
• Skeleton: Men's competition on February 12-13
• Bobsled: Men's competition on February 16
• Ski Mountaineering: Sprint events on February 19

Selected Final Events

• February 20: Freestyle Skiing (men’s halfpipe, women’s ski cross), Biathlon (men’s 15km mass start), Speed Skating (women’s 1500m), Short Track Speed Skating (men’s 5000m relay, women’s 1500m).
• February 21: Ski Mountaineering (mixed relay), Freestyle Skiing (mixed team aerials, men’s ski cross, women’s freeski halfpipe), Cross-country Skiing (men’s 50km mass start classic), Biathlon (women’s 12.5km mass start), Speed Skating (men’s and women’s mass start), Bobsleigh (2-woman heat 4 final).
• February 22: Ice Hockey (men’s gold medal game), Cross-country Skiing (women’s 50km mass start classic), Curling (women’s gold medal game), Bobsleigh (4-man heat 4 final). The Closing Ceremony is also on this date.

New Events Introduced

The 2026 Games will introduce eight new medal events, featuring ski mountaineering as a standalone new sport and additional competitions within existing disciplines.

Ski Mountaineering (Skimo)

Ski mountaineering makes its debut as an Olympic sport, the first new sport in over three decades. The discipline involves athletes ascending and descending mountains on skis and sometimes on foot. Events will include a women's sprint, a men's sprint, and a mixed relay. Historically, ski mountaineering has origins in Europe, with records dating to 1897 in Switzerland, and gained international traction with its first world championships in 2002. Competitions for ski mountaineering will be held in Bormio, Valtellina Valley, the same venue as Alpine skiing. The U.S. team qualified for the Games by winning a mixed relay race in December, with Anna Gibson and Cam Smith.

Additional New Events within Existing Sports

• Dual Moguls (Freestyle Skiing): Both men's and women's events will be introduced, where two athletes compete simultaneously on a bumpy course with aerial tricks.
• Mixed Team Skeleton: Teams consisting of one man and one woman from the same country will race head-first down the ice track.
• Women's Doubles Luge: This new event features two women from the same nation racing together, with the existing doubles luge event being designated as a men's competition.
• Women's Individual Large Hill Ski Jumping: This addition ensures that both men and women will now compete in individual normal hill and large hill events, in addition to the mixed team event introduced in 2022.
• Men's Super Team Ski Jumping: This format replaces the traditional four-person team competition, featuring pairs of two athletes in up to three jumps. Organizers have indicated this structure is intended to create a more dynamic competition and facilitate participation from smaller nations.

Key Storylines and Athlete Focus

A primary storyline for the Games is the return of NHL players to Olympic ice hockey, featuring athletes such as Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews. The Russian team will not participate.

Several athletes from various nations are expected to contend for medals, including those making comebacks from injuries or breaks in competition.

International Athletes to Watch

• Federica Brignone (Italy): A three-time Olympic medalist and defending world champion in giant slalom, returning after a leg injury.
• Marco Odermatt (Switzerland): Defending Olympic gold medalist in giant slalom, a three-time world champion, and 53-time World Cup winner. Atle Lie McGrath is also considered a contender in men's slalom.
• Mikaela Shiffrin (USA): A decorated skier aiming for Olympic success in slalom after not reaching the podium in 2022 and sustaining an injury in 2024.

• Quentin Fillon Maillet (France): A five-time Olympic medalist and defending gold medalist in the 20 km individual and 12.5 km pursuit.
• Julia Simon (France): The 2022 Olympic mixed relay silver medalist and 2022-23 overall World Cup champion, who won four golds at the 2025 world championships.
• U.S. Medal Quest: Deedra Irwin and Campbell Wright are contenders for the first U.S. biathlon medal.

• Francesco Friedrich and Johannes Lochner (Germany): Pilots who have swept the last seven four-man and two-man world championships and finished 1-2 in both events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Francesco Friedrich is a four-time Olympic champion.
• Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers-Taylor (USA): Both mothers returning to bobsledding for their fifth Olympic Games; Humphries is the defending Olympic champion in women's monobob, and Meyers Taylor earned silver in 2022. Germany's Laura Nolte also leads women's monobob competitions.

• Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner (Italy): The Italian mixed doubles duo won Olympic gold in 2022 and the 2025 world championship.
• Bruce Mouat (Great Britain): Leads the British team that won silver in Beijing and holds 2023 and 2025 world titles with Scotland.
• U.S. Curlers: The U.S. team includes new faces, such as Danny Casper's team, Team Peterson, and mixed doubles world champions Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse. Canada won the 2024 and 2025 world championships.

• Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway): A five-time Olympic gold medalist, 15-time world champion, and achieved his 100th World Cup win in December.
• Jonna Sundling (Sweden): The 2022 Olympic sprint champion, with five world championship golds over the past two editions.
• U.S. Men's Team: Gus Schumacher and Ben Ogden lead the U.S. men's team, which is pursuing an end to a 46-year medal drought.

• Yuma Kagiyama (Japan): The silver medalist at the 2022 Olympics and a three-time world championship runner-up. Japan’s Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi are two-time world champions in pairs.
• Adeliia Petrosian (Individual Neutral Athlete): The 18-year-old Russian is a strong contender, having won the last three Russian championships.
• U.S. Team: Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, Ilia Malinin (known for the quadruple axel), and ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates form a strong U.S. team.

• Eileen Gu (China): Won two gold medals and one silver for China at the Beijing Olympics, and secured a silver medal in slopestyle recently. She is competing in all three freestyle events.
• Mikaël Kingsbury (Canada): A moguls athlete with 18 Olympic and world championship medals, including gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
• Chloe Kim (USA), Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic), Anna Gasser (Austria): Are aiming for their third consecutive Olympic gold medals in halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, and big air, respectively.

• Max Langenhan and Felix Loch (Germany): Langenhan has secured the last two World Cup titles and six world championships, challenged by teammate Loch, the current World Cup leader and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
• Julia Taubitz (Germany): Winner of the last three World Cup season titles and three golds at last year’s world championships.

• Johannes Lamparter (Austria): Leads the World Cup circuit this season with five wins.

• William Dandjinou (Canada): A two-time defending World Tour champion with seven wins this season and four medals at the 2025 world championships.
• Courtney Sarault (Canada): A World Tour winner across three distances and an 11-time world championship medalist.
• Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA): A short track skater who was world champion and received the Crystal Globe award. Her events include the Mixed Team Relay, 500m, and 3000m Relay.

• Domen and Nika Prevc (Slovenia): Siblings leading their respective World Cup tours, each with multiple wins and two golds and a silver at last year’s world championships.

• Emily Harrop (France): Current World Cup champion with two wins in the sprint discipline this season.

• Matt Weston (Great Britain): Holds world titles in 2023 and 2025 and secured his third consecutive overall World Cup crown this season.

• Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (New Zealand): Won slopestyle gold and big air silver in Beijing in 2022, and has claimed four X Games golds since then, becoming the first woman to land a triple cork 1440 in slopestyle at the 2025 X Games.
• Maddy Schaffrick (USA): Returning to competition after a break.

• Femke Kok (Netherlands): Top World Cup performer at 500 and 1,000 meters and a three-time world champion in the 500m.
• Miho Takagi (Japan): Seven Olympic and 16 world championship medals, currently leading the World Cup standings in the 1,500m.
• Damian Źurek (Poland): Recently edged American Jordan Stolz in two 500m World Cup races, setting track records.
• Jordan Stolz (USA): At 21, he has achieved ten world championship medals since the 2022 Beijing Games and holds the current world record in the men's 1000 meters. He aims for medals in the men's 1000m, 500m, 1500m, and Mass Start events.
• Erin Jackson (USA): The first American since Bonnie Blair, and the first Black woman, to win gold in the women's 500 meters at the 2022 Olympics. She will compete in the 1000m and 500m.
• Brittany Bowe (USA): Holds the world record for the women's 1000m and has two bronze medals from previous Games. She is competing in her fourth Olympics and seeks a gold medal. Her events are the 1000m, 500m, and 1500m.

• Canadian Men's Team: Expected to contend for gold with NHL stars like Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid.
• Canadian Women's Team: Led by captain Marie-Philip Poulin, has won five of seven Olympic golds since the event’s debut.
• U.S. Women's Team: Has a 5-0 record with a 26-1 goal differential in recent competitions, with Caroline Harvey leading in points. Goalkeeper Aerin Frankel has a .978 save percentage. The U.S. and Canadian women's teams are favored to advance to the gold medal match.

Logistics and Venues

The Games are geographically dispersed across northern Italy. Ski mountaineering, for instance, will be held in Bormio, Valtellina Valley. The event structure aims to accommodate a return of in-person spectators.