The countdown is on for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.Video above: How ‘puke and rally’ became an Olympic mantraThe torch relay is already underway, and some of the top athletes are already making headlines. There are 16 sports in all, including some never seen before, and 116 gold medals are waiting to be awarded when competition begins in less than a month.This will be the most spread-out Winter Games in history: The two primary competition sites are the city of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the winter resort in the Dolomites that is more than 250 miles away by road. Athletes will also compete in three other mountain clusters besides Cortina, while the closing ceremony will be in Verona, 100 miles east of Milan.Get ready for all of the events with this guide of things to know!Key dates to knowCompetition runs Feb. 4-22. Here are some of the big days to mark on your calendar:Feb. 4: Competition begins (curling).Feb. 6: Opening ceremonyFeb. 7: First gold medal eventsFeb. 8: Gold medal, women’s Alpine skiing downhillFeb. 13: Gold medal, men’s figure skatingFeb. 18: Gold medal, women’s Alpine skiing slalomFeb. 19: Gold medal, women’s figure skating. Gold medal game, women’s ice hockey. First gold medals in ski mountaineering, a new Olympic sportFeb. 22: Gold medal game, men’s ice hockey. Closing ceremonyTop storylinesAthletes to watch: Two of the most decorated Alpine skiers in history, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, opened the World Cup season in dominant form, raising American hopes of a golden run in Cortina. Eileen Gu is back in freestyle skiing, as is Chloe Kim in snowboarding. NHL players are back on Olympic ice for the first time since 2014, so watch for the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.Venues: All eyes are on the hockey arenas in Milan, which were still under construction in December; the main rink will be about 3 feet shorter than NHL and PWHL players are used to. And the athletes’ village in Cortina is a set of more than 350 mobile homes.Russian athletes: Some sports federations are deciding whether to let Russians compete as neutral athletes, but only after they are cleared by an independent review to ensure that they have not publicly supported the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated with Russia’s military or other forces.What’s new: Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut, while skeleton has added a mixed team event, luge has added women’s doubles and large hill ski jumping added women’s and men’s super team events.
The countdown is on for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Video above: How ‘puke and rally’ became an Olympic mantra
The torch relay is already underway, and some of the top athletes are already making headlines. There are 16 sports in all, including some never seen before, and 116 gold medals are waiting to be awarded when competition begins in less than a month.
This will be the most spread-out Winter Games in history: The two primary competition sites are the city of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the winter resort in the Dolomites that is more than 250 miles away by road. Athletes will also compete in three other mountain clusters besides Cortina, while the closing ceremony will be in Verona, 100 miles east of Milan.
Get ready for all of the events with this guide of things to know!
Key dates to know
Competition runs Feb. 4-22. Here are some of the big days to mark on your calendar:
Feb. 4: Competition begins (curling).
Feb. 6: Opening ceremony
Feb. 7: First gold medal events
Feb. 8: Gold medal, women’s Alpine skiing downhill
Feb. 13: Gold medal, men’s figure skating
Feb. 18: Gold medal, women’s Alpine skiing slalom
Feb. 19: Gold medal, women’s figure skating. Gold medal game, women’s ice hockey. First gold medals in ski mountaineering, a new Olympic sport
Feb. 22: Gold medal game, men’s ice hockey. Closing ceremony
Top storylines
Athletes to watch: Two of the most decorated Alpine skiers in history, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, opened the World Cup season in dominant form, raising American hopes of a golden run in Cortina. Eileen Gu is back in freestyle skiing, as is Chloe Kim in snowboarding. NHL players are back on Olympic ice for the first time since 2014, so watch for the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.
Venues: All eyes are on the hockey arenas in Milan, which were still under construction in December; the main rink will be about 3 feet shorter than NHL and PWHL players are used to. And the athletes’ village in Cortina is a set of more than 350 mobile homes.
Russian athletes: Some sports federations are deciding whether to let Russians compete as neutral athletes, but only after they are cleared by an independent review to ensure that they have not publicly supported the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated with Russia’s military or other forces.
What’s new: Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut, while skeleton has added a mixed team event, luge has added women’s doubles and large hill ski jumping added women’s and men’s super team events.
