The 2026 Winter Olympics will officially begin on February 6, 2026, with the opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium. The Games will run for two weeks and conclude on February 23 in Verona.
The 25th Winter Olympics will be taking place in Milan-Cortina, Italy. There will be 3,500 athletes participating in 116 events, 16 disciplines, with the games running for 19 days.
Venues
This year’s Olympics are spread across northern Italy, with events held in multiple locations including Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Bormio, Livigno, Predazzo, Tesero and Verona. The Games are divided into four main clusters: Milan, Valtellina, Cortina, and Val di Fiemme. Athletes will be based in six villages depending on their events and venues.
The above major cities include the following venues for the games: Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, Cortina Sliding Centre, Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park, Livigno Snow Park, Milano Ice Skating Arena, Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milano Speed Skating Stadium, Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium, Stelvio Ski Centre, Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, Verona Olympic Arena.
Italy is hosting the Winter Olympics for the third time, after Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006. It is the fourth time the country has hosted the Olympics overall, including the 1960 Summer Games in Rome.
Games: new debut
The 2026 Winter Olympics feature 16 disciplines across eight sports. They include traditional events such as alpine skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, and bobsleigh, alongside newer additions like ski mountaineering.
Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut with three medal events: men’s sprint, women’s sprint, and a mixed relay. Several new events have also been added in luge, ski jumping, skeleton, freestyle skiing, and alpine skiing.
Who may lead?
Norway topped the medal table at the last two Winter Games, including Beijing 2022, where it won 16 gold medals. Germany and the United States followed the lead. With strong teams again expected from Europe and North America, the competition for the top spot is likely to be closely watched.
Countdown begins
At their post at X, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics organisers shared a countdown by saying, “Only three days to go until the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games!!!”
They also provide a link in their post to experience the games live.
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