"2026 Olympics" and "Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026" redirect here. For the Winter Paralympics, see2026 Winter Paralympics. For the Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, see2026 Summer Youth Olympics.
The2026 Winter Olympics (Italian:Olimpiadi invernali del 2026), officially theXXV Winter Olympic Games and commonly known asMilano Cortina 2026, is an internationalmulti-sport event currently taking place from 6 to 22 February 2026 at multiple sites acrossLombardy andNortheast Italy, with competition in selected events beginning 4 February 2026.
A joint bid byMilan andCortina d'Ampezzo was awarded the 2026Winter Olympics at the134th IOC Session in June 2019, beating another joint bid made byStockholm andÅre, Sweden. Milano Cortina 2026 will be the firstOlympic Games to be officially co-hosted by two cities.[6] Milan will primarily host the ice events, while the remaining events will be hosted in clusters around Cortina and theValtellina andFiemme valleys. These will mark the third Winter Olympics, and the fourth Olympics overall, to be hosted by Italy; Cortina d'Ampezzo previously hosted the1956 Winter Olympics.[7]
During the bidding process, the bidding committee proposed that the speed skating events could be held at the existingIce Rink Piné inBaselga di Piné. Despite the infrastructure being ready, it required a roof which impact and cost studies indicated would be costly, potentially exceeding the budget. So instead, the committee deliberated over three choices: building an ice rink in the pavilions ofFiera Milano (with a possibility to be permanent or temporary), options that would require significant structural work, or move the events to theOval Lingotto in the city ofTurin which required no structural changes.[19]
The venue, which was constructed to host speed skating during the2006 Winter Olympics and after the Games, has hosted events such as exhibitions, fairs and conferences. The venue hosted the same sport in the2007 Winter Universiade. In April 2023, it was estimated that the temporary ice rink in Fiera Milano would cost nearly €20 million, which would be paid for with private funds. The proposal to use Turin's Oval Lingotto received opposition from Milan-area officials, as Turin was part of the initial stages of the project, but later withdrawn. One of the spokespersons to reject this proposal was the mayor of Milan,Giuseppe Sala, and officials from the host regions of Lombardy and Veneto.[20] Fiera Milano was confirmed as the speed skating venue in April 2023.[21][19]
TheOlympic torch relay started on 26 November 2025 with the flame lighting inOlympia, Greece, and concluded on 6 February 2026 inMilan, Italy, coinciding with the opening ceremony atStadio San Siro. Along with the 13 regional units and seven regions in Greece, the flame was scheduled to visit the 110provinces of Italy, making 60 stops over 63 days across 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi).[22]
The Olympic torch was unveiled on 14 April 2025 in parallel events held in Milan andOsaka, Japan.[23] It was simultaneously revealed at theTriennale di Milano and at the Italian pavilion atExpo 2025 as a way of connecting the twotwin cities, as Milan had previously hostedExpo 2015.[24][25][26] The Olympic torch is light blue whereas the correspondingParalympic torch is bronze coloured.[23] Named "Essential"; developed byEni and its subsidiaryVersalis, designed by StudioCarlo Ratti Associati and produced in Italy by Cavagna Group, the torches are made primarily of an alloy of recycled aluminium and bronze. They run bio-LPG, a fuel made from renewable materials, produced at theEnilive [it] biorefinery inGela, and have been designed to be refilled up to ten times in order to cut down on the number of torches produced.[27]
Following the lighting of theOlympic flame in Olympia, there was a low-key handover ceremony inAthens on 4 December 2025.[28] The flame then arrived inRome to visit all 110 provinces of Italy, making 60 stops over 63 days across 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi) and involving 10,001 torchbearers.[22][29] The torch was inNaples forChristmas, inBari forNew Year's Eve, and inCortina d'Ampezzo on 26 January to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its hosting the1956 Winter Olympics.[22] While the torch is inPiedmont, a tribute is planned for skierMatilde Lorenzi, who died while training in October 2024.[30]
On 15 July 2025, the official medals of the Games were unveiled inVenice, designed as two halves that symbolise the culmination of an athlete and Para athlete's journey and of all those who have walked beside them along the way, it was created by theIstituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS).[33][34]
The medals featured an essential design that places emotion and teamwork at its core. They had the traditional Olympic five-ring symbol on one side, with an inscription on the reverse that details the event and commemorates the venue.[35][36] The medals of several athletes broke after they received them.[37]
The opening ceremony was held on 6 February 2026 atStadio San Siro in Milan, titled "Armonia" (Harmony).[38] The ceremony was produced byBanijay Live (Balich Wonder Studio). Marco Balich, Creative Lead of the Opening Ceremony, explained that the word harmony derives fromAncient Greek: "It means 'bringing together' in musical terms, different elements."[39] The opening ceremony also featured special performances from American singerMariah Carey[40][41][42] and Italian artistsLaura Pausini andAndrea Bocelli.[43] TwoOlympic cauldrons were lit in both Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, a first in Games' history.[44]
Sports
The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to feature 116 medal events in 16 disciplines, an increase of seven events and one discipline overBeijing 2022. New medal events will include men's and women's dualmoguls infreestyle skiing, the return of the men's and women's doubles inluge (replacing the open doubles event), men's and women's teamcombined events inalpine skiing, women's large hill individual inski jumping, and a mixed relay team event inskeleton. The Games will have the highest percentage of women's participation in Winter Olympic history, at 47%.[45][46]Nordic combined remains the only Winter Olympic sport in which only men compete.
The alpine mixed team parallel event has been dropped. Alpine combined will switch from an individual format to two-person teams; the event has seen diminishing participation due to evolving technical and training requirements and was dropped from theFIS Alpine Ski World Cup circuit in 2020.[47][48][49] Team ski jumping and Nordic combined will also switch to two-person teams, with the latter adopting a large hill /2×7.5 km (4.7 mi) course.[46] For the first time, women will race the same distances as men incross-country skiing.[46]
At the 138th IOC Session on 20 July 2021, the IOC approved a proposal by the Milano Cortina Organising Committee to addski mountaineering as a debuting optional sport.[50] It will consist of three medal events: men's sprint, women's sprint, and mixed relay.[51] In February 2024, theInternational Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) reached an agreement with theNational Hockey League (NHL) for a break in the regular NHL season, to allow the league's players to participate in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. The NHL was originally scheduled to compete in 2022 as well but opted out because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[52]
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each discipline.
The closing ceremony will be held at theVerona Arena inVerona on 22 February 2026, entitled "Beauty in Action".[53] Along with the cultural segments, the ceremony will feature the closing remarks and the formal handover to theFrench Alps as the host region of the2030 Winter Olympics[54]
The first version of the 2026 Winter Olympics schedule was released in March 2024. Competitions start two days before the opening ceremony on 4 February with the mixed doubles event on curling, and end on 22 February 2026 with the men's ice hockey tournament final.[63] The second version of the schedule was released in December 2024.[64]
For the first time, the emblem of an Olympic Games was determined via a public vote. On 6 March 2021 during the2021 edition of Sanremo Music Festival finals, two candidate designs titled "Dado" and "Futura" were unveiled by former Italian Olympic gold medallistsFederica Pellegrini andAlberto Tomba. They were both designed byLandor Associates.[68][69] On 30 March 2021, "Futura" was announced as the winning emblem.[70][71] The emblem consists of a stylized "26" written in a single stroke, representing the impact of "small gestures", and "sport, solidarity, and sustainability".[72]
Slogan
"IT's Your Vibe"
The Games' official slogan, "IT's Your Vibe", was announced on 23 February 2025; it uses "IT" as both an abbreviation for Italy (i.e. "[Italy's] Your Vibe") and as thecontraction "It's", with variants of the slogan used in other contexts to reflect upon the Games and its host country.[73][74]
An online vote closing on 28 February 2023 was held among a list of candidates to select the two mascots of the event. The winning candidates, designed by the students of a school inTaverna and inspired bystoats,[75] were presented during the second night of theSanremo Music Festival 2024 on 7 February 2024.[76] Their names were revealed to beTina and Milo (derived from the names of the host cities), and are portrayed as sister and brother.[77][78][79]
The choice of stoats has been explained as being due to these animals' embodiment of "the contemporary Italian spirit" of curiosity, ability to change according to the seasons, and capacity of adaptation to challenging habitats.[78][79] The two main mascots are additionally accompanied by sixsnowdrop flowers, called "The Flo".[80]
Milo, a brown stoat, and Tina, a white stoat, are brother and sister "born in the mountains of Italy", who "decided to move to the city". Tina, the main Olympic mascot, symbolises art, music, and the transformative force of beauty. Milo, the Paralympic mascot, was born without a leg but uses his tail to help him to take a normal life with some ingenuity, willpower, and creativity.[78]
Theme song
During theSanremo Music Festival 2022 finals, the two final candidates for the official anthem of the event were presented, with a poll opening afterward. On 7 March 2022, "Fino all'alba" ("Until the dawn")—composed by the youth music group La Cittadina of the San Pietro Martire inSeveso, and performed during Sanremo byArisa—was announced as the winner.[81]
In Italy, domestic pay-TV rights are owned byWarner Bros. Discovery,[82] with free-to-air coverage and digital rights owned byRAI under a sublicense agreement with theEuropean Broadcasting Union.[83] In January 2023, the IOC renewed its European broadcast rights agreement withWarner Bros. Discovery Sports to last from 2026 to 2032. The contract covers pay television and streaming rights to the Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympics onEurosport andDiscovery+ in 49 European territories.[82] Unlike the previous contract where corporate precursorDiscovery, Inc. was responsible for sublicensing them to broadcasters in each country,[84][85] free-to-air rights packages were concurrently awarded to the EBU and its members to cover at least 100 hours of each Winter Olympics.[82] EBU member RAI then signed a sublicensing deal for Italian free-to-air TV and digital rights.[83]
This sectionmay betoo long and excessively detailed. Please consider summarising the material.(February 2026)
Corruption allegations and scandals
On 21 May 2024, theGuardia di Finanza raided the offices of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, Quibyt andDeloitte for irregularities over the selection of certain sponsors, such as bid-rigging, irregular payments and uncertain validity over relationships between the Fondazione officials.[86] The investigations mainly concern Deloitte and accusations of corruption and bid-rigging against three people.[87][88]
In July 2025, the Prosecutor's Office of Milan started an investigation into alleged corruption regarding the public works tender for theMilan Olympic Village. 74 individuals were identified, with offences of corruption, forgery, or abuse of public offices.[89]
According to reports by the media, the accused boasted of their friendship with Fabrizio Piscitelli, former leader of theIrriducibili, who was murdered in a Rome park in 2019. Their reputation in football's violent[clarification needed] circles helped them present themselves as influential figures within Rome's criminal underworld.[90] The investigation, disclosed by the Venice prosecutor's office, details how two brothers from Rome, linked to Lazio's ultramafia group known as the Irriducibili, were arrested after trying to illegally obtain contracts related to Olympic construction works.[91]
In November 2025, the Milan court (GIP) referred a question of constitutional legitimacy to the Constitutional Court concerning Article 11 of Decree-Law No. 76 of 11 June 2024 (converted into Law No. 111 of 8 August 2024) — a provision widely described in Italian media as the "Save the Olympics" decree — which states that the activities of theFondazione Milano Cortina 2026 are not governed by public-law rules and that the foundation is not a "body governed by public law".[92][93]
The Milan Court has raised concerns about the constitutionality of a recent government decree intended to shield the Milano Cortina Foundation from investigations into alleged bid rigging and corruption scandals.[94][95]
Infrastructural and venue issues
Sliding sports venue
During the bidding process, theItalian government proposed to restore theEugenio Monti Olympic Track in Cortina (used during the1956 Winter Olympics), to be relaunched as a federal centre also for sledding and skeleton, despite opposition from theInternational Olympic Committee. The project has received criticism from environmental groups due to the planned felling of 20,000 square metres (220,000 sq ft) of larch forest.[96][97]
The minimum cost of restoring the closed track was initially estimated at €14 million, while in the official Milan-Cortina bid dossier the cost indicated was €100 million (similar budget needed to build theCesana Pariol track used at the 2006 Winter Olympics).[98] After initially forecasting an expenditure of €40–50 million, the Veneto Region allocated funding up to €85 million to build the new Olympic venues. An annual expenditure of €400,000 was also planned for the management of the facility, which would be open four months a year, to be settled through the establishment of €8 million fund.[99]
Due to the rising cost of construction materials, the Veneto region presidentLuca Zaia said in February 2023 that the restoring cost for the Eugenio Monti track could be upwards of €120 million.[100] Calling for tenders to award the work, no company came forward with a bid by the 31 July 2023 deadline;[101] even after that, no company interested in carrying out the work could be found, both for economic reasons and because of the difficulty to complete all works before the start of the Olympics.[102] Due to critical issues, costs and prohibitive times for the total renovation of Cortina track, the mayor ofInnsbruck, Austria, made a proposal for the use of theIgls Olympic Sliding Centre in Innsbruck.[103]
On 16 October 2023 theItalian National Olympic Committee (CONI) announced that the track will not be rebuilt to host the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, and the sliding events could be held outside of Italy.[104][105] However, the current Italian government wanted the sliding events to remain in Italy, so they studied the possibility of revamping the Cesana Pariol track which hosted the events at the 2006 Winter Olympics, which has been dormant since 2011.[106] Since then, several construction companies have submitted bids to study a potential reconstruction of the Eugenio Monti track.[107] A bid was won to build a new sliding track (Cortina Sliding Centre) instead of rebuilding the Eugenio Monti track, which was demolished.[108]
In late 2025, international training periods were planned by theInternational Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and theInternational Luge Federation (FIL) to allow all internationally competing athletes to learn and train on the new track well ahead of the Olympic Games. Luge athletes were expected to begin this training on 27 October 2025.[46] Bobsleigh and skeleton athletes had a planned training block from 7 to 16 November, immediately followed by the opening week of theBobsleigh World Cup, where further training and official racing took place from 17 to 23 November.[115] The athletes were scheduled to return to Cortina in the days leading up to the 2026 Games for a final training period prior to the start of the Olympic competition.[115]
Ice hockey venue delays
The construction of the main ice hockey venue,Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, has faced notable delays and concerns over rink size, leading to criticism from the NHL.[116] IIHF presidentLuc Tardif announced in January 2026 that the stands would not be completed on time, leading to reduced capacity, but assured that the rink and player facilities would be ready.[117][118]
At the end of January, organisers admitted that the venue was not going to be fully complete in time, despite the IOC's Games executive director, Christophe Dubi, saying it was "absolutely certain" it would be ready.[119]
Security concerns
Trial for the death of a security guard
During the night between 7 and 8January 2026, security guard Pietro Zantonini was found dead from exposure near the arena construction site in Cortina, while he was in services for the Olympic organisation.[120] The Belluno Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the worker's working conditions by SSSecurity&Bodyguard.[121]
No-fly zones and threats
U.S. and Italian security teams have flagged the risk of "lone actor" drone attacks, similar to those seen in recent global conflicts.No-fly zones are strictly enforced over all venues. Researchers (such asPalo Alto Networks) have warned of state-sponsored "killware" and phishing campaigns targeting ticketing systems and athletes' personal data.[122] While no specific Winter Olympic athlete has reported a death threat this week, confusion may stem from the Winter Spine Race (a separate ultra-marathon which took place in January 2026), where humanitarian and runnerSarah Porter was recently forced to withdraw following credible death threats from Afghanistan[clarification needed].[123]
The news sparked protests from both Italian citizens and opposition parties to the right-wing-to-far-right majority partyFratelli d'Italia, accusing it of favouring the introduction of foreign military forces that use "brutal and inhumane methods" against the population.[128][129][130][131][124] The event was also supported by theMinnesota general strike and riots against the conservative party's policy, following the killing of American citizensRenée Good andAlex Pretti by ICE agents.[132] During the protests, Italian state broadcasterRAI aired a video of ICE agents threatening to break the window of the vehicle its crew were using to report in Minneapolis.[133][134][131]
TheItalian minister of the interior,Matteo Piantedosi, regarding the alleged presence of the forces, stated that "We are not aware of this, but foreign delegations choose whom to turn to in order to ensure their own security. I don't see what the problem is. Security coordination remains the responsibility of the national authorities." TheDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that "all security operations remain under Italian authority" and "ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries".[124][135] A petition campaign to prevent agents from entering Italian territory has been launched onChange.org.[136] On the opening day of the Olympics, protests were held against the presence of ICE agents in Milan and against the Trump administration. Some spectators booedJD Vance during the opening ceremony.[137][138][139]
U.S. Olympic officials announced they would change the name of their assigned hospitality space from "Ice House" to the "Winter House" to avoid a reference to the agency.[140]
Presence of Qatari security forces
Although Qatar has never sent athletes to any Winter Olympics, numerousQatari police vehicles have been spotted in Milan: officially, QatariLekhwiya, the elite security forces, and the Qatari police have sent more than 100 officers (including about 20 women) to Italy to participate in security for the Olympics, along with more than 20 special vehicles (fromNissan Patrols to Stark Motor's mammoth Thunders) and 3snowmobiles. Some Qatari security forces personnel also took part in a winter training course on snowy environments and skiing operations, conducted in collaboration with the Carabinieri inSelva di Val Gardena.[141] According to a source at the Italian interior ministry, the Qatari security force was involved "mainly in a training" capacity.[142]
On 28 January, it was reported that a Qatari plane carrying 104 security personnel and heavy equipment slightly hit and damaged a lighting tower in Milan'sMalpensa Airport while making a "wrong maneuver" during landing. Despite the incident, the welcome ceremony prepared for the passengers still took place.The Guardian reported that "any controversy over the Qatari involvement has so far been mute".[142]
Russian cyberattacks
Days before the opening ceremonies, Italian officials were reported to have foiledRussian cyberattacks aimed at disrupting the Games.[143]
Participation of controversial nations
Participation of Israeli athletes
Protesters have accused Olympic organisers of having double standards, arguing that if Russian athletes are barred due to their country's war crimes, then Israel should also not be allowed to parade their flag, given theGaza genocide and apartheid inGaza. The Palestinian NOC stated that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing, and the IOC's decision shows there are "international institutions that insist on applying double standards and not adhering to the Olympic Charter, laws and regulations, or morals".[144] TheIsraeli team werebooed during the opening ceremonies.[145]
The IOC says the situations are not comparable. Russia was barred following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which is a violation of theOlympic Truce and Ukraine's territorial integrity as a member National Olympic Committee.[146] An IOC spokesperson stated that their organisation "deeply believes that differences between nations must be resolved through dialogue, not violence", and is beyond their "remit to react to any conflict or war situation between countries", which it regards as "the pure realm of politics".[147][148]
Latvian Public Media, which is a part of thePublic Broadcasting of Latvia, announced it would not cover the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus (competing asIndividual Neutral Athletes, or AIN), including their individual events. Instead, live broadcasts will feature advertisements, interviews with Latvian athletes, or other content.[155] Tom Circenis, theTV3 Group's director of sports programming, confirmed that channels would insert commercial breaks during Russian and Belarusian athletes' performances, describing this as an editorial decision coordinated with the Latvian Olympic Committee. This policy constitutes a boycott in response to the participation of neutral athletes from "aggressor countries."[156]
Athletes' expression
British-American freestyle skierGus Kenworthy shared an Instagram post hours before arriving at the Olympics, where the words "fuckICE" could be seen written in urine in the snow. Kenworthy was not censored or punished by the IOC for his post, because it was posted outside the Olympic environment on his personal social media.[157]
The Haitian Olympic team was forced to remove a depiction ofToussaint Louverture from their opening ceremony uniforms after the IOC determined that his presence on their clothing violated Olympic policies on political expression.[158]
Ukrainian skeleton racerVladyslav Heraskevych was banned from wearing a helmet depicting Ukrainian athleteskilled during the Russo–Ukrainian War, with the IOC stating that the helmet violated theOlympic Charter's guideline on demonstrations and "political, religious or racial propaganda." As a compromise, he was instead allowed to wear ablack armband.[159] However, Heraskevych later changed his mind and proclaimed he would accept a disqualification rather than wear a black armband because a "medal is worthless in comparison to people's lives and, I believe, in comparison to the memory of these athletes."[160] With no resolution by the day of the competition on 12 February, a jury of theInternational Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation ruled to disqualify him from the Games.[161]
Ukrainian short track speed skaterOleh Handei was banned from competition for having a line of poetry fromLina Kostenko on his helmet. Handei maintained the Kostenko quote, "Where there is heroism, there is no final defeat," had nothing to do with politics.[162]
Allegations of crotch enhancement
Some athletes were reported injectinghyaluronic acid onto the crotch area to improve performance inski jumping. Earlier, two Olympic gold medalists and three staffers on the Norway men's team "were charged with ethics violations after equipment manipulation following an investigation" stemming from an incident where they were reportedly "caught on video adding stitching into the crotch area of their suits to make them bigger and thus, more aerodynamic during competition".[163][164]
^"Competition Schedule V.5 (by session)"(PDF).Milano Cortina 2026. Milano-Cortina Organising Committee for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. 13 March 2024.Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved10 September 2024.
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