The Winter Olympics have arrived, with this year's spectacular showcase of snow and ice sports commencing this week. The Milano Cortina 2026 Games will officially begin on 4th February, with the opening ceremony scheduled for 6th February, and will continue through to the closing ceremony on 22nd February. Over the course of 19 days in Italy, a total of 116 medal events will be contested, offering a thrilling programme for athletes and fans alike.
Geographical Zones and Venues
The events are strategically distributed across four primary geographical zones in Italy, each hosting a unique set of competitions. Milano will serve as the central hub, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies alongside sports such as ice hockey, speed skating, and figure skating. Valtellina will be the stage for freestyle skiing and snowboard events, among others. Cortina, renowned for its alpine scenery, will host women's alpine skiing and ice sports including curling, skeleton, and luge. Finally, Val di Fiemme will be the venue for ski jumping and cross-country skiing, adding to the diverse sporting landscape.
Sports Programme and Innovations
This year's programme includes 16 distinct sports, featuring one brand-new addition to the Olympic roster: ski mountaineering. This debut sport highlights the evolving nature of the Winter Games. Additionally, new events have been introduced within existing disciplines, such as a mixed team event in skeleton, women's doubles in luge, and a men's super team event in large hill ski jumping. Notably, the alpine mixed team parallel event has been replaced by men's and women's combined events, reflecting ongoing adjustments to the competition format.
Complete List of Sports and Events
Below is the full breakdown of sports and their respective events at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics:
- Alpine Skiing (10 events): Men's and women's downhill, giant slalom, slalom, super-G, and combined.
- Biathlon (11 events): Men's and women's individual, sprint, pursuit, mass start, and relay, plus a mixed team relay.
- Bobsleigh (4 events): Men's two-man and four-man, women's monobob and two-woman.
- Cross-country skiing (12 events): Men's and women's distance events (classical, skiathlon, freestyle, relay) and sprint events (individual, team).
- Curling (3 events): Men's, women's, and mixed doubles.
- Figure Skating (5 events): Men's and women's singles, plus mixed pairs, ice dance, and team event.
- Freestyle skiing (15 events): Men's and women's aerials, big air, halfpipe, moguls, dual moguls, ski cross, and slopestyle, with a mixed team aerials event.
- Ice hockey (2 events): Men's and women's tournaments.
- Luge (5 events): Men's and women's singles and doubles, plus a mixed relay.
- Nordic combined (3 events): Men's individual (large hill/10km), individual (normal hill/10km), and team sprint (2 x 7.5km).
- Short track speed skating (9 events): Men's 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and 5000m relay; women's 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and 3000m relay; plus a mixed team relay.
- Skeleton (3 events): Men's, women's, and mixed team.
- Ski jumping (6 events): Men's and women's normal hill and large hill, men's super team, and a mixed team event.
- Ski mountaineering (3 events): Men's and women's sprint, plus a mixed relay.
- Snowboard (11 events): Men's and women's big air, halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, slopestyle, and snowboard cross, with a mixed snowboard cross team event.
- Speed skating (14 events): Men's and women's 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m (men's 10,000m, women's 3000m and 5000m), mass start, and team pursuit.
With such a comprehensive and innovative lineup, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics promise to deliver unforgettable moments of athletic excellence and competitive spirit across the globe.
