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All eyes will be on Italy as the European country hosts the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Winter Games will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo – a historic first for the Olympic Games. These will be the first Games held under International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and the third time they have been held in the country.
There will be 16 different sports featured during the games with 116 medal events. Ski mountaineering will debut as a sport and the NHL has allowed its players to compete in the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
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IOC President Kirsty Coventry speaks to volunteers ahead of the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday January 29, 2026. (Daniele Mascolo/Pool Photo via AP)
With the Opening Ceremonies just days away, read everything fans need to know about this year’s Games below.
Which city will host the 2026 Olympic Games?
The Olympic rings stand near Anterselva di Sopra, which will host the biathlon competition as part of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games, in Anterselva Di Mezzo, Italy, January 31, 2026. (Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Winter Olympics to a joint bid from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on June 24, 2019. The Italian venues were awarded following a joint bid from Sweden, which joined forces with Stockholm and Âre. These are the first Olympic Games co-hosted by two cities.
The opening ceremony will take place at the Stadio San Siro in Milan. It is the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. The Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater, will be the venue for the closing ceremonies.
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When does it begin?
Police walk past the Olympic Village ahead of the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, January 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Winter Olympics will officially begin on February 6 and end on February 22. The first medals will be awarded on February 7 in the alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, speed skating, ski jumping and snowboarding events.
How to watch?
NBC will broadcast specific events on its cable channels and will stream all events live on Peacock.
What to expect?
American Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates her victory in the Alpine skiing, World Cup women’s slalom, in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, Sunday, January 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Europe for the first time since 2006 in Turin, Italy. Entering the Olympics this time, the United States is not the winter sports powerhouse like it is in the summer.
The United States finished in third place in total medals in 2022 in Beijing. The Americans were also tied for third in gold medal count with China. Norway and Germany are the two countries that dominated winter sports during the last Winter Games.
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Russian and Belarusian athletes are also banned from competing under their flags due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Athletes will compete as neutral individual athletes.
Benin, Guinea-Bissau and the United Arab Emirates are making their debut at the Winter Olympics this time around.
