Winter Olympics 2026: What to Expect

After having enjoyed the Paris Summer Olympics this year, we haven’t got long until the Winter Olympics arrive in 2026. Detailing the event locations, sports taking place and what we know so far about the games, get the low-down on the upcoming frosty competition below.

The next Winter Olympics, titled Milano Cortina 2026 or officially as the XXV Olympic Winter Games, will be held in Italy: the first time since 2006 (Turin). The event is being held in two cities, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. These two beautiful areas, both in the North of the country, are expected to offer a diverse range of winter sports, such as Bobsleighing, Skiing, Ice Hockey and much more.

The ’Look of the Games’, the design concept for the upcoming event, is supposedly inspired by Italy’s ‘rich culture and values’, and will accompany the 5 ‘vibes’, including creativity, energy, imagination, passion and style. These designs will shape the face of the Winter Olympics – too will the 16 Olympic Pictograms that have been designed, used for each sport category and merchandising. Mascots named Tina and Milo after the hosting cities are two stoats which will represent the games.

A key aim for these games is to be as sustainable as possible, and will be achieved using different approaches, such as reusing resources and the increase of renewable energy. It’s reported that Italy will be using existing stadiums rather than new ones to push this sustainability mission, such as Olympia delle Tofane for skiing, and the Olympic Sliding Centre in Cortina for Bobsleighing. Multiple venues being reused, such as the Olympic Sliding Centre, were featured in the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina, and will be updated.

The previous Winter Olympic Games of 2022 were hosted in China’s capital, Beijing. Being hosted in areas where snow is not plentiful, artificial snow was used, and fantastic venues were built especially for the games. In these games, out of 91 nations and almost 3,000 athletes, Norway won with 37 medals. Another notable mention from these games was the presence of Coronavirus, which meant a strict protocol of isolating athletes and limiting spectators.

The games are said to be ‘the most widespread Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ever’, with sports taking place all over Northern Italy, most significantly Milan and Cortina, as well as towns like Tereso and Bormio, both for skiing. Shortly after hosting the Olympics, the Paralympics will follow, from March 6 to March 15, featuring a multitude of sports.

While the games don’t start until over a year, there is already so much to be excited about. If you are looking for Olympic coverage from this year’s Summer Olympics, you can watch all coverage on BBC iPlayer until the end of this year.