25th Winter Olympic Games - ITALY
In the coming weeks, athletes will compete in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
25th Winter Olympic Games from February 6 to 22, 2026 // Winter Paralympic Games from March 6 to 15, 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo
Milan. The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will kick off on February 6, 2026, with the opening ceremony at Milan's famous Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. Like most of the competition venues, the stadium has been renamed for these Winter Games. For the Olympics, the Milan stadium is called the Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium. The Olympic flame will be lit here on February 6. The torch, which arrived in Italy from Greece on December 6, 2025, was carried across Italy for two months by various sporting legends. The torchbearers walked through 110 Italian provinces, covering a total of 12,000 km. The official venues for the Winter Games are the stadiums, slopes, cross-country ski trails, and downhill courses in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. ARD and ZDF will alternate daily broadcasts of the Games live on television.
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| Die Alpen -- Pressefotoarchiv: Helga Waess |
These are the third Winter Olympic Games in Italy
The Games were first held in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956 and then in Turin in 2006. They are billed as "the most diverse Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games ever."
This year, for the first time, two cities will serve as official hosts, welcoming international athletes from the following 16 sports:
- Biathlon
- Bobsleigh
- Curling
- Ice Hockey
- Figure Skating
- Speed Skating
- Nordic Combined
- Luge
- Short Track
- Skeleton
- Alpine Skiing
- Freestyle Skiing
- Ski Mountaineering
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Ski Jumping
- Snowboarding
In the host cities:
- Antholz
- Bormio
- Cortina d'Ampezzo
- Livigno
- Milan
- Predazzo (Val di Fiemme)
- Tesero (Val di Fiemme)
- Verona
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| Snowman in the Isarvorstadt district, photo: Helga Waess |
Venues in the regions:
Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium - Opening Ceremony
Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena
Biathlon
Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium - Cortina d'Ampezzo
Curling
Cortina Sliding Centre - Cortina d'Ampezzo
Bobsleigh
Luge
Skeleton
Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park - Livigno
Freestyle Skiing
Livigno Snow Park
Freestyle Skiing
Snowboarding
Milano Ice Skating Arena - Milan
Figure Skating
Short Track
The Roman amphitheater in Verona will be renamed the "Verona Olympic Arena" for the Winter Olympic Games
At the grand farewell ceremony, athletes will march in together, not separated by nation. This is intended to symbolize the Olympic ideal of unity.
The TV broadcast "Olympia Live" will alternate daily between ARD and ZDF.
The TV broadcast "Olympia Live" will alternate daily between ARD and ZDF.
- Fri., Feb. 6, 2026. ARD. 6:00 p.m. – 11:20 p.m. Olympia Live. Opening Ceremony.
- Sat., Feb. 7, 2026. ARD. 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Olympia Live. Day 1 of Competition.
- Sun., Feb. 8, 2026. ZDF ...
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Winter Olympic Games: February 6–22, 2026
Winter Paralympic Games: March 6–15, 2026
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| SZ-Zeppelin - Foto: Helga Waess (Pressearchiv) |
