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All eyes will be on Italy as the European country hosts the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Winter Games will be hosted in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo – an historic first for the Olympics. It will be the first Games held under International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and the third time it will be held in the country.
There will be 16 different sports on display during the games with 116 medal events. Ski mountaineering will debut as a sport and the NHL has allowed its players to compete in the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
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IOC President Kirsty Coventry speaks to volunteers ahead of the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Daniele Mascolo/Pool Photo via AP)
With the opening ceremonies just days away, read below for everything fans need to know about this year’s Games.
What city is hosting the 2026 Olympics?
The Olympic Rings stand near Anterselva di Sopra, which will host the biathlon competition as part of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, in Anterselva Di Mezzo, Italy, Jan. 31, 2026. (Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Winter Olympics to a joint bid by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on June 24, 2019. The Italian sites were awarded over a joint bid by Sweden, which went with Stockholm and Âre. It is the first Olympics to be co-hosted by two cities.
The opening ceremony will take place at Stadio San Siro in Milan. It’s the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater, will be the site of the closing ceremonies.
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When does it begin?
Police walk by the Olympic Village ahead of the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Winter Olympics will officially begin on Feb. 6 and end Feb. 22. The first medals will be awarded on Feb. 7 in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, speed skating, ski jumping and snowboarding events.
How to watch?
NBC will air specific events on its cable channels and will stream all events live on Peacock.
What to expect?
United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom, in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
The 2026 Winter Olympics are being held in Europe for the first time since 2006, when it was held in Turin, Italy. Entering the Olympic Games this time around, the U.S. isn’t the powerhouse in winter sports as they are in the summer.
The U.S. finished in third place in total medals in 2022 in Beijing. The Americans were also tied for third place in the number of gold medals with China. Norway and Germany are the two countries that have dominated in winter sports in the last few Winter Games.
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Russian and Belarusian athletes are also banned from competing under their flags over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The athletes will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes.
Benin, Guinea-Bissau and the United Arab Emirates are making their Winter Olympics debuts this time around.
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