There will be eight new Olympic events at the 2026 Winter Games.
WASHINGTON — In just a couple of months, the Winter Olympics will kick off in two Italian cities.
Roughly 3,500 athletes from 93 countries will compete in the 16 Olympic and six Paralympic sports events next year in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Several prolific American athletes are expected to compete, with the U.S. a top contender for overall medal count.
The Milan-Cortina Games will have “the most spread-out” opening ceremony in history, according to organizers. The ceremony will take place in several different locations: Milan, Cortina, Predazzo and Livigno.
Here is everything to know about the 2026 Winter Olympics.
When are the Winter Olympics?
The Winter Olympics are set to open Feb. 6, 2026, through Feb. 22, 2026. The Paralympic Winter Games will begin a month after, Mar. 6, 2026, through Mar. 16, 2026.
Where are the Winter Olympics 2026?
Olympic events are scheduled from Feb. 6-22 in venues spanning the Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto, as well as the autonomous provinces of Alto Adige and Trentino, with many hours of driving between them.
When is the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The opening ceremony will take place on Feb. 6, 2026.
The Parade of Nations will feature athletes led by the national flagbearers not only in Milan’s San Siro Stadium, which will be packed with 60,000 spectators, but also, for the first time in Olympic history, in three other locations: the mountain venues of Cortina, Predazzo and Livigno.
Organizers said the concept for the Opening Ceremony will be “Harmony,’’ representing the duality of the urban and mountain venues for these games, as well as an appeal in a moment of enormous global tensions.
Headliners will be named later, but organizers announced there will be a moment of tribute for the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died Sept. 4 at the age of 91.
Armani designed the Olympic and Paralympic uniforms for the Italian national team for decades, and was a personal friend of the former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malagò.
The Opening Ceremony will put a spotlight on San Siro Stadium, which is home to Inter Milan and AC Milan soccer clubs. It is set to be torn down and replaced by a new team-owned stadium.
Each nation is allotted two flagbearers, and they can appear in two different venues. Italy, as host, will have four flagbearers, two men and two women.
Similarly, the Olympic flame will burn in two locations: The Arco della Pace in central Milan and in Cortina’s main Piazza Dibona. The design of the cauldrons has yet to be revealed.
Who will be competing at the Winter Olympics?
The Winter Games will feature 16 different sports, including ski jumping, snowboarding, bobsled and figure skating.
Chloe Kim, Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Jordan Stolz, Brittany Bowe, Madison Chock and Evan Bates are some possible Team USA favorites that could take the spotlight during the 2026 Winter Games.
How long are the Winter Olympics?
The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics will last 17 days.
In the Milano area, events will be held at San Siro Stadium, Mediolanum Forum in Assago, Palasharp in Lampugnano and the Santa Giulia arena.
What are the mascots for the Winter Olympics 2026?
The 2026 Olympics feature two mascots, Tina and Milo, whose names are representative of the host cities, Cortina and Milano.
Tina and Milo are stoats, or small mammals that are part of the mustelid family along with weasels and otters.
What will the Winter Olympic medals look like?
The 2026 medals are comprised of two halves coming together to make the Olympic rings. They feature the Olympic rings on one side and the games’ logos on the other with specific events engraved on each medal.
The medals are being produced by Italy’s state mint, the Zecca dello Stato, using recycled metal recovered from its own production waste, according to the Olympics.
More than 1,100 medals will be awarded throughout the 195 events in the Milan Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Will there be any new sports at the Winter Olympics?
There will be eight new Olympic events at the 2026 Winter Games.
- Ski mountaineering: men’s sprint, women’s sprint and mixed-gender relay
- Freestyle skiing: men’s and women’s dual moguls
- Open luge: women’s doubles
- Skeleton: mixed-gender team event
- Ski jumping: women’s large hill event
The only sport not returning for the 2026 Winter Olympics is the alpine skiing mixed team parallel event.
Are the Olympics every two years?
From 1924 through 1992, the Winter and Summer Olympics were both held in the same year, every four years.
Things changed in 1994 when the Winter and Summer games split and were then held every two years instead. The 1994 Winter Olympics were held in Lillehammer, Norway, followed by the Summer Games in 1996 in Atlanta.
However, the Summer and Winter Olympics are each held every four years, respectively.
When are the 2028 Summer Olympics?
Two years after the Winter Games, the Olympics will return to the U.S. The 2028 Olympic Games will have its Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles on July 14, 2028. The Games will run through July 30, with the Paralympic Games starting Aug. 15 and ending Aug. 27.
When was the last time the U.S. hosted the Olympics?
It’s been more than 20 years since the U.S. was the host country for the Olympics. The last Games to be held in the U.S. were 2002’s Winter Olympics, which were held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Summer Games were last in the United States for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.