2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics: New Events and Athletes Announced

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are scheduled to host approximately 3,000 athletes competing in 116 medal events across 16 disciplines. The Games will span 2.5 weeks, with events held at various venues across northern Italy, marking the return of in-person spectators. Preparations include the introduction of eight new medal events and a focus on established and returning athletes, amidst discussions around logistical, geopolitical, and environmental considerations.

Overview of the Games

The Winter Olympics program will feature a diverse array of sports, from traditional disciplines like Alpine skiing and figure skating to the debut of new competitions. Specific event start dates range from February 7 through February 19, with the main program initiating around February 8.

New Events and Disciplines

The upcoming Games will introduce eight new medal events, with ski mountaineering making its debut as the first new sport in over three decades.

Ski mountaineering involves athletes ascending mountains with climbing skins attached to their skis, navigating varied terrain on foot, and then skiing down. The discipline will feature three events: women's sprint, men's sprint, and mixed relay. Sprint races include an ascent and descent, starting with time trials. The mixed relay involves teams of one man and one woman completing four laps, comprising two ascents and two descents on a longer course.

The sport's origins are traced to Europe, with official records in Switzerland from 1897. Ski mountaineering's first world championships took place in France in 2002, followed by a World Cup circuit two years later. It was added to the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2020 and approved for inclusion in the Milan Cortina Games in 2021. Competitions are scheduled to take place in Bormio, Valtellina Valley, at the same venue as Alpine skiing. The U.S. mixed relay team of Anna Gibson and Cam Smith qualified for the Games in a December race.

Five other new competitions have been added within existing Winter Olympic sports, increasing medal opportunities, particularly for women:

• Dual Moguls: A freestyle skiing event where two athletes compete side-by-side, performing aerial tricks on a bumpy course. Both men's and women's dual moguls will debut.
• Mixed Team Skeleton: Teams of one man and one woman from the same country race head-first down an ice track on a small sled.
• Women's Doubles Luge: Two women from the same country race down the track together. The existing doubles luge competition will now be officially designated as a men's event.
• Women's Individual Large Hill Ski Jumping: This event ensures both men and women will compete in normal and large hill individual 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 with pairs of two athletes, aiming for a more dynamic competition and allowing participation from smaller nations.

Key International Athletes to Watch

A roster of international athletes is expected to contend for medals across various disciplines:

• Federica Brignone (Italy): A three-time Olympic medalist, defending world champion in giant slalom, and multiple World Cup title winner. Women’s Alpine skiing begins February 8.
• Marco Odermatt (Switzerland): The defending Olympic gold medalist in giant slalom, a three-time world champion, and 53-time World Cup winner. Men’s Alpine skiing is scheduled to begin on Saturday.

• Quentin Fillon Maillet (France): A five-time Olympic medalist and defending gold medalist in the 20 km individual and 12.5 km pursuit. Biathlon begins with mixed relay competitions on February 8.
• 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. She will compete despite a suspension from the French federation.

• Francesco Friedrich and Johannes Lochner (Germany): These two pilots have swept the last seven four-man and two-man world championships and finished 1-2 in both events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Men’s bobsled begins February 16.

• Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner (Italy): The Italian mixed doubles duo won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2022 with an undefeated run and captured the 2025 world championship. Mixed doubles curling is scheduled to start on Wednesday.
• Bruce Mouat (Great Britain): Mouat will lead the British team that took silver in Beijing and won the 2023 and 2025 world titles with Scotland. Men’s curling starts February 11.

• Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway): A five-time Olympic gold medalist and 15-time world champion, who achieved his 100th World Cup win in December and swept all six events at last year’s world championships. The Olympic program begins February 8.
• Jonna Sundling (Sweden): The 2022 Olympic sprint champion, with five world championship golds over the past two editions. Women’s cross-country skiing is scheduled to begin on Saturday.

• Yuma Kagiyama (Japan): The silver medalist at the 2022 Olympics and a three-time world championship runner-up. Figure skating starts on Friday with the team event.
• Adeliia Petrosian (Individual Neutral Athlete): The 18-year-old Russian, winner of the last three Russian championships, will compete as a neutral athlete. Women’s singles begins February 17.

• Eileen Gu (China): Won two gold medals and one silver for China at the Beijing Olympics, previously competing for the United States. Freestyle skiing begins February 7.
• Mikaël Kingsbury (Canada): A moguls athlete with 18 Olympic and world championship medals, including gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Moguls begins February 10.

• Max Langenhan and Felix Loch (Germany): Langenhan has secured the last two World Cup titles and won six world championships. He will be challenged by teammate Felix Loch, the current World Cup leader and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Men’s luge is scheduled to begin on Saturday.
• Julia Taubitz (Germany): Winner of the last three World Cup season titles and three golds at last year’s world championships. Women’s luge begins February 9.

• Johannes Lamparter (Austria): The top performer on the World Cup circuit this season, with five wins. Nordic combined events begin February 9.

• William Dandjinou (Canada): A two-time defending World Tour champion, who won seven races this season and four medals at the 2025 world championships, including gold in the 1500m. Men’s short track begins February 14.
• Courtney Sarault (Canada): A World Tour winner across three distances, who won the overall season title and is an 11-time world championship medalist. Women’s short track begins February 10.

• Domen and Nika Prevc (Slovenia): Siblings who are leading their respective World Cup tours this season, with Domen having 10 wins and Nika 13. Both won two golds and a silver at last year’s world championships. Ski jumping events are scheduled to begin on Saturday.

• Emily Harrop (France): The defending World Cup champion in the sprint discipline, with two wins this season. Ski mountaineering sprint events are on February 19.

• Matt Weston (Great Britain): Captured world titles in both 2023 and 2025 and secured his third consecutive overall World Cup crown this season, winning five of seven races. Men’s skeleton competition is on February 12-13.

• Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (New Zealand): Won slopestyle gold and big air silver in Beijing in 2022 and has claimed four X Games golds since, becoming the first woman to land a triple cork 1440 in slopestyle at the 2025 X Games. Women’s snowboarding begins February 8.

• Femke Kok (Netherlands): The top World Cup performer this season at 500 and 1,000 meters, and a winner of three straight world titles in the 500m. The first Olympic women’s sprint event (1,000m) is on February 9.
• Miho Takagi (Japan): With seven Olympic and 16 world championship medals, Takagi leads the World Cup standings in the 1,500m distance. The women’s 1,500m is scheduled for February 14.
• Damian Źurek (Poland): Recently edged American skater Jordan Stolz in two 500m World Cup races in Germany, setting track records. Men’s speedskating program begins on February 8. The 500m is February 14.

• Canadian Hockey Teams: The men’s team, featuring NHL players such as Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid, will compete. The women’s team, led by captain Marie-Philip Poulin, has won five of seven Olympic golds since the event’s debut. The women’s tournament opens on Thursday; the men begin February 11.

U.S. Athlete Storylines and Prospects

U.S. athletes across several sports are preparing for the Games, with notable narratives including returns from injury and quests for historic medals.

• Mikaela Shiffrin, who did not medal in five events in 2022 and sustained an injury in 2024, is seeking Olympic success, particularly in slalom. Breezy Johnson is also returning.

• Deedra Irwin and Campbell Wright are contenders to win the first-ever U.S. biathlon medal.

• Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers-Taylor, both mothers, are returning to bobsledding after childbirth, competing in their fifth Olympic Games.

• Gus Schumacher and Ben Ogden are leading the U.S. men's team in their pursuit to end a 46-year medal drought.

• The U.S. team will feature new faces, including Team Peterson, and mixed doubles world champions Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse.

• The U.S. is fielding a team including Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, Ilia Malinin (known for the quadruple axel), and ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Alysa Liu is returning to competition.

• Chloe Kim (halfpipe) and Anna Gasser (big air) are aiming to win their third consecutive Olympic gold medals. Maddy Schaffrick is also returning.

The U.S. team is noted for its strength in team pursuit, led by key athletes:

• Jordan Stolz (21): Did not medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games but has since achieved ten world championship medals, including three while recovering from pneumonia. He holds the current world record in the men's 1000 meters and aims for medals in the men's 1000m, 500m, 1500m, and Mass Start events.
• Kristen Santos-Griswold (31): A short track skater who placed fourth in the 1000 meter finals at the 2022 Beijing Olympics after a collision. She has since been crowned world champion. Her events include the Short Track Mixed Team Relay, Women's 500m, and Women's 3000m Relay.
• Erin Jackson (33): At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she became the first American since Bonnie Blair to win gold in the women's 500 meters, and the first Black woman to win an individual speed skating event.

  Her participation in the 2022 Games was facilitated by Brittany Bowe, who relinquished her qualified spot in the 500m after Jackson finished third in the U.S. Olympic Trials due to a slip.
  Her events are the Women's 1000m and 500m.

• Brittany Bowe (37): Holds the world record for the women's 1000m and has two bronze medals from prior Games. She is competing in her fourth Olympics and seeks a gold medal. Her events are the Women's 1000m, 500m, and 1500m. Both Bowe and Jackson have served as flag bearers for the U.S. at Opening Ceremonies.

For the first time in over a decade, NHL players, including Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon, will participate in Olympic hockey.

Other Noteworthy Aspects

The Games will also navigate broader considerations, including geopolitical tensions, logistical arrangements across multiple venues, and environmental factors. Russia's national hockey team will not participate.