Cortina d’Ampezzo. Photo by Betty Subrizi on Unsplash
By Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are being held in Italy, from 6 to 22 February with Milano (Milan) and the popular ski holiday destination of Cortina d’Ampezzo serving as the two core hubs for the competitions. The Games will include more than a dozen winter sports over 17 days involving athletes from all over the world.
Although the opening ceremony officially kicks the Games off on Friday, 6 February 2026 at San Siro Stadium in Milan, the competitive program actually begins two days earlier, on 4 February, with curling and hockey events getting underway.
From Olympia to Italy
After being lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece, the Olympic torch for this Games has been transported by a relay of people, in a symbolic display of unity and peace, towards Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The flame will finish its journey at the opening ceremony on 6 February, where it will be used to ignite the Olympic cauldron in the San Siro, signalling the official start of the Games.
Alpine Skiing: Downhill, Super-G and more
For skiing fans, the Olympic alpine program, always one of the top attractions, will combine speed and split second decisions by ski racers which can mean the difference between victory and heartbreak.
The Men’s and Women’s alpine ski events take place primarily at two mountain venues in the Dolomites and Alps:
- The Men’s downhill and other speed races will be held on the famous Stelvio race piste in Bormio, one of world’s toughest slopes.
- The Women’s downhill and technical events are being hosted at the Tofane Alpine Ski Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a classic World Cup venue with dramatic vertical terrain.
The Men’s downhill is scheduled for 7 February 2026 and the women’s downhill the following day. These races are followed by a mixture of speed and technical events throughout mid-February.
Snowboarding: Tricks, Cross and Big Air
Snowboarding events once again encompass a range of disciplines from snowboard cross, when competitors race head-to-head over jumps and banked turns, to slopestyle and big air competitions where style and aerial skill is needed to impress the judges.
Most snowboarding events are set in and around Livigno, the high-altitude mountain resort close to the Swiss border. Snow parks will be built with courses which will enable snowboarders to get big air to demonstrate their freestyle skills.
The snowboarding schedule spans 5 to 22 February 2026, giving snowboarders the chance to compete across multiple disciplines throughout the Games.
British Ski Racers and Snowboarders to watch out for
Team Great Britain has one of its strongest squads ever across alpine skiing, snowboard and freestyle.
Alpine Ski Racers
- Dave Ryding is Britain’s top slalom ski specialist. He will be competing in what is expected to be his final Olympic Games after a notable career on the World Cup circuit.
- Billy Major and Laurie Taylor are both emerging British slalom talents and are already making their mark on the World Cup circuit.
- Roy Steudle, Victoria Palla and Reece Bell bring a notable collection of international racing experience from the World Cup circuit.
Snowboard competitors
Great Britain’s snowboarding contingent features a mixture of established stars and rising talents.
- Mia Brookes is a world champion in slopestyle and big air. She is seen as one of Britain’s brightest medal hopes in snowboarding.
- Charlotte Bankes is a top competitor in the tough world of snowboard cross. She has plenty of international experience and strong results at world championships behind her.
- Huw Nightingale is a snowboard cross specialist with World Cup success alongside Bankes.
There are additional British snowboarders with experience of slopestyle and big air competitors who contribute to a multi-disciplined squad that reflects the growth of snowboard talent in the UK.
As well as skiing and snowboarding there will be British interest in other Winter Games events. These are taking place in four zones: Milano (ceremonies in Milan and Verona; ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating and short track in Milan), Valtellina (freestyle skiing and snowboard events in Livigno; ski mountaineering and men’s Alpine skiing on the Stelvio), Cortina (women’s Alpine skiing on the Tofane; curling and sliding sports in Cortina; and biathlon in Anterselva), and Val di Fiemme (ski jumping in Predazzo; cross-country skiing in Tesero).
50th Paralympic Winter Games
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games takes place shortly after the conclusion of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony takes place in Italy’s Arena di Verona on 6 March and concludes in Cortina d’Ampezzo, at the renovated Cortina Olympic Ice Stadium, on 15 March 2026.
Six winter disciplines will take place over nine days between 6-15 March 2026 although some events, such as wheelchair curling, will begin slightly before the official opening ceremony, as early as 4 March 2026.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics mark the 50th anniversary of the first Paralympic Winter Games (held in 1976). There will be a record number of approximately 665 athletes from 50 nations competing in 79 medal events.
A Festival of winter sport
The TV coverage of The Games will highlight the attractions of some of the Italian ski areas such as Cortina, Bormio, Livigno and the beauty of the Dolomites. Milano-Cortina 2026 promises a festival of winter sport surrounded by dramatic mountain landscapes and Olympic tradition. This Winter Olympics will once again deliver some unforgettable moments and perhaps a few surprises along the way.