Winter Olympics

Snow-capped peaks, roaring crowds, a glowing Olympic flame, and thousands of athletes from all

across the globe will converge in northern Italy this February as Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo welcome the world to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games! The games,hosted by Italy, span 15 competition venues where athletes from over 90 countries will compete from February 6th to 22nd.

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will feature 16 total new sporting events, including  Ski Mountaineering, Women’s Luge Doubles, Women’s Large Hill Ski Jumping, Mixed Team Skeleton, Dual Moguls (Freestyle Skiing), and Team Combined (Alpine Skiing). Returning sports include multiple skiing and sled events, like Bobsleigh and Skeleton, as well as highly anticipated classics such as Figure Skating and Ice Hockey. With over 3,500 athletes competing and 195 medals to be won, the 2026 Winter  Olympics are sure to be an exciting opportunity for fans to witness athletic excellence across diverse Italian landscapes.

The Olympic Games have a rich history, originating in ancient Greece around 776 BCE as a religious festival honoring Zeus. The ancient Olympic Games featured events such as running, combat sports, pentathlon, and equestrian events. From the start, the goal of the Olympics has been to celebrate human unity through sport, a goal that has been maintained to this day. The Olympics were held every four years, an enduring tradition. In 393 AD, they were banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I, who  viewed the games as a pagan festival honoring Greek gods, and banned them in his efforts to suppress paganism and establish Christianity as the sole religion of the Roman Empire. However, the Games were brought back in 1896 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, marking the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece. 14 countries sent over 200 male athletes to compete in sports such as track and field, gymnastics, weight lifting, and many more.

As the 2026 Olympic Games gain traction, a handful of names stand out as must-watch performers on the ice, snow, and track. In figure skating, be sure to keep an eye out for Ilia Malinin (USA) as well as Kaori Sakamoto (JPN). In skiing, Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Eileen Gu (CHN), and Tess Ledeux (FRA) dominate the slopes. As for hockey, a select group of NHL players will be representing the USA including Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, and Nathan MacKinnon. In snowboarding, keep tabs on Chloe Kim (USA), one of the greatest female snowboarders in Olympic history. As for emerging talent, look for young stars like Dutch speed skater Jenning de Boo and Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen to make big impacts.

From teenagers making their first Olympic starts to veterans in their 40s chasing one last medal, the age range in Milan Cortina shows how long an Olympic dream can last. While rosters aren’t finalized yet, expect young stars like Canada’s teenage hockey phenom Macklin Celebrini (19), and Italian alpine skier Giorgia Collomb (18) to be among the youngest at the 2026 Olympics. But why so many young athletes? Well, the International Olympic Committee doesn’t have a universal minimum age, so it varies by sport with some, such as hockey, having team-based age restrictions. Despite this, the age of the average Olympian has gone up over time, from 23 years old in 1896 to approximately 27 years old in 2021. This increase reflects longer careers, a product of advances in sports science, nutrition, and recovery that allows athletes to compete at a high level for longer. In general, judged events such as gymnastics and combat sports have athletes that are usually in their late teens and early 20s, while endurance and certain skill-based sports have a greater number of older competitors in their 30s and even 40s.

The Olympics bring together rising prodigies and established names alike, a facet that extends beyond sport this year. Seasoned performer and artist Mariah Carey is set to open the Milan-Cortina Games in front of a global audience, This will be her first time performing at the Olympic Games and serving as the first major international artist announced for the event. She will be joined by acclaimed Italian actors Pierfrancesco Favino, Matilda de Angelis, and Sabrina Impacciatore, singer Laura Pausini, and violinist Giovanni Zanon, creating a blend of international talent and Italian culture.

Every element of the games has been meticulously designed to embody the Olympic spirit of unity, down to the medals. The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics medals feature a simplistic design with two interlocking halves, one smooth, and one textured. This choice displays the union of two parts in constant motion, highlighted by the contrast between a granular texture and a mirrored surface. Moreover, the unity of the two halves despite differences reflects the world at the moment, and the hope we share for our future.

All of this points to an Olympics that is as much about shared experiences as it is about medals and records. Fans will watch on from crowded arenas and glowing screens at home, and from Mariah Carey’s first note to the final burst of fireworks, this year’s Olympics sets the tone for that global connection. For a few weeks, the Games will turn countless individual stories into one larger, shared narrative of humankind.

Works Cited

https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/schedule/overview

https://www.olympics.com/ioc/faq/history-and-origin-of-the-games/what-is-the-origin-of-the-olympic-games

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-6/first-modern-olympic-games

https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/when-do-olympic-athletes-peak/#:~:text=The%20numbers%20don't%20lie,;%20and%20Allyson%20Felix%2C%2023.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/31/oldest-youngest-olympians/

https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/brand/medals