As the competition in Italy is about to get underway, fans may be wondering when and where the next Winter Olympics will be held.
WASHINGTON — The most spread-out Winter Games in history are about to kick off.
The two primary competition sites are in Italian cities Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, where athletes from more than 90 countries will compete on the world stage across 16 different disciplines. Athletes will compete for a record 195 medals in events ranging from long-established sports such as alpine skiing, hockey and figure skating to newer additions like big air snowboarding. The program also introduces ski mountaineering as a brand-new Olympic event.
As the competition gets underway, fans may be wondering when and where the next Winter Olympics will be held.
Where are the next Winter Olympics?
France is set to host the 2030 Winter Games.
The competition will return to France for the first time in 38 years, with the country hosting the last Winter Games in Albertville in 1992. It will be the fourth time the Winter Olympic Games have been held in France.
The Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 1 to Feb. 17, 2030. The Paralympic Winter Games would take place from Mar. 1 to Mar. 10, 2030. While the final details of the next games are not finalized, the master plan for the French Alps Winter Olympics will focus on four areas: in Haute Savoie, Savoie, Briançon, and Nice.
- Haute Savoie Zone: Cross-country skiing (La Clusaz), Biathlon (Le Grand Bornand), Olympic Village
- Savoie Zone: Alpine skiing (Courchevel, Méribel), Ski jumping (Courchevel), Nordic combined (Courchevel, Méribel), sliding sports (La Plagne), Olympic Villages (Bozel, La Plagne)
- Briançon Zone: Freestyle skiing and snowboarding (Serre Chevalier, Montgenèvre), Olympic Village (Briançon)
- Nice Zone: Ice hockey (two arenas), Figure skating and Short track speed skating, Curling, International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre, and Closing Ceremony
Speed skating could be held outside of France, though that is currently unconfirmed. The Opening Ceremony venues are also unknown.
Why are there Olympics every two years?
For most of the 20th century, the Winter and Summer Olympics were held in the same year, then repeated every four years.
However, in 1994, things changed 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.
The decision to break the 70-year-old tradition came after the International Olympic Committee amended the Olympic Charter to separate the games.
Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympics have been held every four years, respectively. The four-year period that elapses between Olympic Games is called an “Olympiad.”
Summer Games are held in the first year of the Olympiad, while the Winter Games are held in the third year of that time period.
There have been a few times that the Olympic Games were canceled or rescheduled, usually due to war or a global factor like the COVID-19 pandemic.