Milano Cortina: What to Expect at the Olympics 2026
Introduction: Why the Olympics 2026 matter
The Olympics 2026 — officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games and commonly promoted as Milano Cortina 2026 — are an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled for 6–22 February 2026. Staged across Lombardy and Northeast Italy, the Games are notable for being the first Olympic Games officially co-hosted by two cities, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. For sports fans, athletes and host communities the event represents a major international winter-sport gathering with wide geographic reach and a varied competition programme.
Main body: Key facts and schedule details
Host decision and locations
The joint Milan–Cortina d’Ampezzo bid was awarded the 2026 Winter Olympics at the 134th IOC Session on 24 June 2019, beating a competing joint bid from Stockholm and Åre, Sweden. Milan will primarily host ice events, while mountain and snow events will take place in clusters around Cortina and in the Valtellina and Fiemme valleys. Events are therefore spread across Lombardy and parts of Northeast Italy.
Dates and disciplines
The Olympic Winter Games will run from 6 to 22 February 2026, with the Paralympic Winter Games scheduled to follow from 6 to 15 March 2026. Milano Cortina 2026 will feature 16 sport disciplines, including alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, ski mountaineering, snowboard and speed skating.
Planning and spectator information
Organisers have published competition schedules and guidance for attendees; however, official information notes that the competition schedule is subject to change until the conclusion of the Olympic Games. Prospective spectators are directed to official Milano Cortina 2026 channels for ticketing and attendance details.
Conclusion: What readers should take away
The Olympics 2026 will be a geographically distributed Winter Games, co-hosted by Milan and Cortina and spanning multiple valleys and regions in northern Italy. With 16 disciplines on the programme and dates fixed for February 2026 (and Paralympics in March), interested audiences should note the broad hosting model and check official schedule and ticketing updates as plans are finalised. Milano Cortina 2026 marks a distinctive organisational approach for the Olympic Winter Games, bringing ice and mountain sports to separate but connected Italian locations.
