Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Overview
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, marking the first time Milan hosts the Games. The official opening ceremony is scheduled for February 6, 2026, at the Verona Arena, with the closing ceremony on February 22, 2026, at the Verona Arena as well. The event will feature 116 medal events across 16 sports, an increase from the 109 events in Beijing 2022. The organizing committee has set a sustainability framework focused on existing venues, with over 90 percent of facilities already built or planned for reuse. The International Olympic Committee has confirmed the Games will run for 16 days, aligning with the standard Winter Olympics format. For official updates, visit the Milano Cortina 2026 official page.
Italy's bid emphasized the use of existing infrastructure, including the Palavela in Turin and the San Siro stadium in Milan for ceremonies. The IOC Executive Board approved the final venue plan in 2023, confirming that no new permanent venues will be constructed for the Games. The estimated budget for the organizing committee is around 1.6 billion euros, with funding from the Italian government, the IOC, and private sponsors. The event is expected to draw over 2,600 athletes from approximately 90 National Olympic Committees. Broadcasters in more than 200 territories have secured rights to cover the Games, with Discovery and Warner Bros. Discovery handling global distribution.
Sports and Disciplines in the 2026 Winter Olympics
The 2026 program includes seven new disciplines and events, such as ski mountaineering, which makes its Olympic debut. Snowboard cross mixed team, freestyle skiing mixed team aerials, and women's doubles luge are also new additions. The total number of medal events reaches 116, with 54 for men, 54 for women, and 8 mixed events. Alpine skiing will feature downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and combined events across six medal races. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation governs most snow and alpine events, with rule changes for 2026 focusing on athlete safety and event format standardization. Details on the full sports program are available on the FIS official website.
Ice hockey will feature 12 men's teams and 10 women's teams, with the NHL continuing its participation policy under a new collective bargaining agreement. Figure skating will include men's singles, women's singles, pairs, ice dance, and the team event, with the short program and free skate formats unchanged. Biathlon, cross-country skiing, and Nordic combined will use the International Biathlon Union and FIS competition formats. Luge, bobsled, and skeleton events will take place at the Cortina Sliding Centre, a venue designed for high-speed track racing. The International Luge Federation and IBSF have finalized track homologation for the 2026 Games, ensuring compliance with safety and technical standards.
Venues, Schedule, and Economic Impact
The main cluster in Milan includes the Palazzo dello Sport for ice hockey and the Mediolanum Forum for figure skating, while the Cortina cluster hosts alpine skiing and sliding events. The Verona Arena will host both opening and closing ceremonies, leveraging its historic capacity of over 15,000 seats. The competition schedule spans 16 days, with the first events in alpine skiing and biathlon starting on February 7, 20