2026 Winter Olympics

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Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 2026 Winter Olympics

Host city selection

Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo were chosen to host the 2026 Winter Olympics on June 24, 2019, during a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. Some members from Italy and Sweden could not vote because of the rules set by the Olympic Charter.

Development and preparations

Venues

Main article: Venues of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

The Games used existing places in Lombardy and Northeast Italy, including spots used for the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo and the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino. Most ice events, except curling, happened in Milan, while sliding and snow events took place around Cortina, Valtellina, and the Fiemme Valley. A new 12,000-seat arena designed by David Chipperfield was built in Milan’s Santa Giulia district for ice hockey. Stadio San Siro in Milan hosted the opening ceremony, and the Verona Arena in Verona hosted the closing ceremony. Athletes stayed in Olympic villages in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, or hotels.

Milan cluster

Cortina d'Ampezzo cluster

Valtellina cluster

Val di Fiemme cluster

Verona

Speed skating venue selection

During the bidding process, the committee suggested holding speed skating events at the existing Ice Rink Piné in Baselga di Piné. Although the infrastructure was ready, adding a roof would be expensive. They considered three options: building an ice rink in Fiera Milano’s pavilions (which could be permanent or temporary and would need major work), or moving the events to the Oval Lingotto in Turin, which needed no changes.

The Oval Lingotto hosted speed skating in the 2006 Winter Olympics and later events like exhibitions and conferences but had been without ice since then. In April 2023, it was estimated that a temporary ice rink in Fiera Milano would cost nearly €20 million, paid for with private funds. Using Turin’s Oval Lingotto faced opposition from Milan-area officials, as Turin was part of the project’s early stages but later dropped out. One opponent was Giuseppe Sala (Milan’s mayor) and officials from Lombardy and Veneto. Fiera Milano was chosen as the speed skating venue in April 2023.

Olympic torch

See also: 2026 Winter Olympics torch relay

The Olympic torch relay began on 26 November 2025 with the flame lighting in Olympia, Greece, and ended on 6 February 2026 in Milan, Italy, during the opening ceremony at Stadio San Siro. The flame visited 110 provinces in Italy, making 60 stops over 63 days across 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi). The Olympic torch was unveiled on 14 April 2025 in Milan and Osaka, Japan, to connect the two sister cities. It was revealed at the Triennale di Milano and the Italian pavilion at Expo 2025. The torch is light blau and the Paralympic torch is bronze. Named “Essential,” it was developed by Eni and its subsidiary Versalis, designed by Studio Carlo Ratti Associati, and produced in Italy by Cavagna Group. The torches are made from a mix of recycled aluminium and bronze and run on bio-LPG, a fuel from renewable materials made at the Enilive biorefinery in Gela. They can be refilled up to ten times to reduce waste.

After the flame was lit in Olympia, a quiet handover ceremony happened in Athens on 4 December 2025. The flame then went to Rome to visit all 110 provinces of Italy, with 10,001 torchbearers. It was in Naples for Christmas, Bari for New Year’s Eve, and Cortina d'Ampezzo on 26 January to mark 70 years since the 1956 Winter Olympics. While in Piedmont, a tribute was planned for skier Matilde Lorenzi, who died during training in October 2024. The torch relay visited every UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy. On 29 November 2024, Italian comedy trio Gli Autogol were named official narrators for the torch relay.

Medals

On 15 July 2025, the official medals were unveiled in Venice, designed to show the journey of athletes and Para athletes, created by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS). The medals have the traditional Olympic five-ring symbol on one side and an inscription on the back with the event and venue. Some athletes’ medals broke after they received them.

The Games

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony took place on February 6, 2026, at Stadio San Siro in Milan. It was called "Harmony" and featured special performances by famous singers like Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, and Andrea Bocelli. Two special fires were lit in both Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo for the first time ever.

Sports

The 2026 Winter Olympics included many exciting sports and new events. There were 116 events in 16 different sports, more than the previous Winter Olympics. New events included ski mountaineering, dual moguls in freestyle skiing, and mixed relay in skeleton. This was the first Winter Olympics to feature ski mountaineering. Women also had more chances to compete than ever before.

Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony happened on February 22, 2026, at the Verona Arena in Verona. It was called "Beauty in Action" and included special performances. The event also announced that the French Alps would host the next Winter Olympics in 2030. Famous ballet dancer Roberto Bolle performed at the closing ceremony.

Participating National Olympic Committees

A total of 92 National Olympic Committees had athletes in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The teams from Russia and Belarus could not take part because of rules broken during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Instead, some athletes from these countries competed as independent Olympians, called "Individual Neutral Athletes" (AIN). These athletes had to be approved by their sport's leaders and an Olympic panel.

As AIN athletes, they did not march together in the opening ceremony or count as a team in the medals. They also could not play in team sports such as ice hockey and curling. Some groups, like the International Skating Union and the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, let these athletes join under the AIN name. Twenty athletes from Russia and Belarus took part. This year, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, and the United Arab Emirates joined the Winter Olympics for the very first time.

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee

Calendar

Main article: Chronological summary of the 2026 Winter Olympics

The schedule for the 2026 Winter Olympics was first shared in March 2024. Some events began two days before the opening ceremony on February 4, 2026, with the mixed doubles curling competition. The Games ended on February 22, 2026, with the final men's ice hockey match. A second version of the schedule came out in December 2024.

All times and dates are shown in Central European Time (UTC+1).

Medal table

For a more comprehensive list, see 2026 Winter Olympics medal table.

  *   Host nation (Italy)

Brazil and Georgia won their first Winter Olympic medals.

Podium sweeps

Marketing

The branding for the 2026 Winter Olympics was inspired by Italian gestures, harmony, and a modern Italian spirit. One key design feature was called "Vibes," which used curved lines to show ideas like creativity, energy, imagination, passion, and style. Five famous people were chosen to help promote the Games, including a musician, a Paralympic fencer, a comedian, a chef, and a dancer.

For the first time, the public voted for the Olympic emblem. Two designs were shown in 2021, and the winning one, called "Futura," was picked. It shows the number "26" in a special way to represent small actions and values like sports, teamwork, and care for the earth. The Games' slogan, "IT's Your Vibe," was announced in 2025, using "IT" to mean both Italy and "It's." Beautiful art posters were made with help from a Milan exhibition and young Italian artists.

Mascot

Main article: Tina and Milo

People voted online in 2023 to choose the event's mascots. The winners were two characters inspired by stoats, named Tina and Milo. They were presented during a music festival in 2024. Tina and Milo are brother and sister, with Tina standing for art and beauty, and Milo showing how to stay positive despite challenges. They are joined by six special snowdrop flowers called "The Flo."

Broadcasting rights

Main article: List of 2026 Winter Olympics broadcasters

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) created over 6,500 hours of content during the Games, including various video formats for different broadcasters.

In Europe, the 2026 Winter Olympics marked the first time Warner Bros. Discovery held pan-European rights to the Olympics until 2032, covering digital and pay-TV across 49 European regions. Under this deal, WBD granted free-to-air rights to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and its members, such as Italy's state broadcaster Rai, ensuring at least 100 hours of coverage per Winter Olympics. This differed from earlier contracts where Discovery had managed free-to-air rights directly.

For the first time since the 2024 Summer Olympics, OBS used FPV drones during skiing and sliding events to provide new camera perspectives. The event also featured omnidirectional cameras for advanced "freeze-frame" and multi-angle instant replays. OBS further integrated AI to analyze and tag event footage using computer vision and to generate personalized highlight reels for media outlets. Additionally, Rai and the EBU tested 5G Broadcast technology during the competition.

Concerns and controversies

Main article: Concerns and controversies at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Corruption allegations and scandals

In May 2024, officials in Italy looked into possible problems with how sponsors were chosen for the Olympics. This included looking at payments and relationships between people involved. In July 2025, more checks began on public works for the Olympic village in Milan. Many people were looked at for possible wrongdoings.

Reports in Italy said some people talked about their friendship with a former leader of a football group that had links to organized crime. This group was known for being violent. The checks showed how some people tried to get contracts for building work for the Olympics in an improper way.

In November 2025, a court in Milan asked Italy’s highest court to check if a law passed to protect the Olympic organization from these checks was okay.

Infrastructural and venue issues

Sliding sports venue

When planning began, Italy wanted to use an old track from the 1956 Olympics. But this would have meant cutting down a lot of trees, which upset environmental groups. The cost kept going up, and finally, Italy decided not to use that track. Instead, a new track was built, and it was ready by March 2025 for training.

Ice hockey venue delays

The main ice hockey arena in Milan had delays, and the stands would not be finish on time. Organizers said the ice surface and player areas would be ready.

Antholz/Anterselva naming dispute

Some people in South Tyrol did not like that signs for the biathlon venue were only in Italian and English, not in German as the law requires. Some signs were changed so they were in both languages.

Security concerns

Trial for the death of a security guard

A security guard was found dead near a construction site in January 2026. Officials were looking into the working conditions at the site.

No-fly zones and Russian cyberattacks

Because of worries about drone attacks, no-fly zones were set up around Olympic venues. There were also warnings about possible cyberattacks trying to disrupt ticket sales and athletes’ information. In February 2026, Italian officials stopped some cyberattacks that seemed to come from Russia.

Presence of ICE security officers

In January 2026, the United States said it would send some security officers to help with the Olympics. This caused protests in Italy from people who did not want these officers there. Some people booed a U.S. politician during the opening ceremony.

Presence of Qatari security forces

Even though Qatar has never sent athletes to the Winter Olympics, many security officers from Qatar were in Milan to help keep things safe. Some of their vehicles had a small accident when landing at an airport, but everything continued as planned.

Participation of controversial nations

Participation of Iranian athletes

After some Iranian athletes died in protests, some people asked for Iran to not be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

Participation of Israeli athletes

Some people in Milan booed the Israeli team during the opening ceremony. The Olympic organization said each country’s situation is different and it is not their place to decide who can compete based on politics.

Participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes

Some TV stations in Latvia decided not to show athletes from Russia and Belarus. They said this was because of those countries’ actions in other places.

Athletes' expression

Some athletes wanted to show support for important causes, but the Olympic rules said they could not. For example, one athlete was not allowed to wear a special design on their helmet to remember athletes who had died in wars. Another athlete was not allowed to wear a poem on their helmet.

Allegations of cheating and unsportsmanlike conduct

Some athletes were accused of using special substances to improve their performance. Others were accused of changing their equipment in ways that gave them an unfair advantage.

United States men's ice hockey team celebrations

After the U.S. men’s ice hockey team won, some leaders celebrated with them. This caused some people to be upset.