The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have arrived, with Italy preparing to host what organisers describe as one of the most ambitious and visually striking Winter Games to date, even as some venues and controversies continue to draw scrutiny. Over the next 16 days, nearly 2,900 athletes from more than 90 countries will compete across snow and ice disciplines, marking a major moment for winter sport on the global stage.
Unlike previous editions concentrated in a single region, the Milan-Cortina Games are spread across vast stretches of northern Italy. Events are taking place from the metropolitan backdrop of Milan to the famed alpine town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, as well as in the Dolomite regions of Predazzo and Tesero and the high-altitude resorts of Livigno and Bormio. Organisers say this wide geographic spread highlights Italy’s diverse landscapes, though it has also presented logistical challenges.
The Games officially open on Friday with a high-profile ceremony at Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium, even though competition began earlier in the week. The opening event is expected to be a star-studded affair, featuring performances by global pop icon Mariah Carey and renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Due to the distance between venue clusters, not all athletes will be able to attend the main ceremony. To address this, organisers have planned parallel celebrations, including a second ceremony with its own Olympic cauldron in Cortina, along with satellite events in Predazzo and Livigno. For Great Britain, figure skater Lilah Fear and bobsleigh pilot Brad Hall will serve as flag bearers, with Fear appearing in Milan and Hall in Cortina.
Team GB enters the Games with cautious optimism. Despite the country’s modest winter sports infrastructure, UK Sport believes Britain could surpass its previous Winter Olympics best of five medals, achieved in 2014 and 2018, with up to eight podium finishes possible this time. Strong hopes rest on skeleton racers Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt, who dominated the World Cup season, as well as snowboarders Mia Brookes and Charlotte Bankes and freestyle skiers Kirsty Muir and Zoe Atkin. On ice, dancers Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson are tipped as medal contenders, while Britain’s curlers are aiming to build on their success from the 2022 Games.
Milan-Cortina also marks the introduction of ski mountaineering to the Winter Olympic programme for the first time since 2002. The demanding sport, staged in Bormio, combines uphill racing, ski carrying and downhill sections, though no British athletes are competing. Several new medal events have also been added across disciplines including moguls, luge, alpine skiing, ski jumping and skeleton.
The build-up to the Games has not been without issues. While the Cortina Sliding Centre was completed in time after an expensive rebuild, concerns remain over the Milano Santagiulia ice hockey stadium, which will not be fully finished for the opening matches. Questions over ice quality and rink dimensions have even prompted warnings of a potential NHL boycott. Adding to the tension, Italy suffered a setback when biathlete Rebecca Passler was excluded following a failed doping test.
Meanwhile, a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing as Individual Neutral Athletes under strict IOC conditions, though questions have been raised over the eligibility of several participants. Despite these challenges, Italy is now centre stage, as the world turns its attention to Milan-Cortina for what promises to be a dramatic and closely watched Winter Olympics.
