The 2026 Winter Olympics marks the return to Italy after 20 years, since Turin 2006.
The Congress takes place from February 6 to 22, 2026, with a large-scale organization model, two main centers being Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, and expanding to satellite locations including Valtellina, Val di Fiemme and Verona.
Milan plays the central role of ice sports, and is also the venue for the opening ceremony and many main activities of the Games. Meanwhile, Cortina d'Ampezzo focuses on snow and mountain terrain events, including downhill skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton and biathlon.
The allocation of venues according to the specific subjects of the exam helps optimize professional conditions, while expanding the organization space over an area of more than 22,000 km2 in northern Italy, becoming the largest geographical scope of the Winter Olympics ever.
In terms of scale, the 2026 Winter Olympics gathers more than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries and territories, competing in 195 sets of medals.
The competition program includes 16 Olympic sports and 6 Paralympic sports, ranging from traditional sports such as ice hockey, figure skating, cross-country skiing to events requiring high technique and endurance such as Nordic combine or biathlon.
The specialized novelty is the first appearance of mountain skiing (ski mountaineering – skimo) in the official competition program. Skimo combines mountain climbing on snowy terrain and downhill skiing at high speed, requiring physical endurance, movement skills and power distribution tactics.
In terms of force, the US sports delegation includes 232 athletes, the largest number in the country's history of participating in the Winter Olympics. However, the US will face strong competition from Norway, the team most highly rated at recent Games.
Norway once set a record with 39 medals at PyeongChang 2018 and continued to lead the overall medal standings in Beijing 2022 with 37 medals. In addition, Germany, Canada and China are also predicted to create significant competition, especially in skiing, speed skating and ice hockey.
