2026 Winter Olympics Betting
This will be the most spread-out Winter Games in history: The two primary competition sites are the city of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, a winter resort in the Dolomites more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) away by road. Athletes will also compete in three other mountain clusters besides Cortina, while the closing ceremony will be in Verona, 160 km (100 miles) east of Milan.
2026 Italy Winter Olympics
Feb. 4: Competition begins (curling)
Feb. 6: Opening ceremony
Feb. 7: First gold medal events
Feb. 8: Gold medal, women’s Alpine skiing downhill
Feb. 13: Gold medal, men’s figure skating
Feb. 18: Gold medal, women’s Alpine skiing slalom
Feb. 19: Gold medal, women’s figure skating. Gold medal game, women’s ice hockey. First gold medals in ski mountaineering, a new Olympic sport
Feb. 22: Gold medal game, men’s ice hockey. Closing ceremony
2026 Winter Olympics Betting Lines
2026 Winter Olympics Overview
Dozens of countries will stream or air each day's events, with some delaying broadcasts until primetime depending on the time zone. That will be the case in the U.S., where Eastern time is six hours behind Milan and Cortina. NBC will carry showcase events at night while streaming sports on Peacock.
Athletes to watch: Two of the most decorated Alpine skiers in history, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, opened the World Cup season in dominant form, raising American hopes of a golden run in Cortina. Eileen Gu is back in freestyle skiing, as is Chloe Kim in snowboarding. NHL players are back on Olympic ice for the first time since 2014, so watch for the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.
Venues: All eyes are on the hockey arenas in Milan, which were still under construction in December; the main rink will be about 3 feet shorter than what NHL and PWHL players are used to. And the athletes’ village in Cortina consists of more than 350 mobile homes.
Russian athletes: Some sports federations are deciding whether to allow Russians to compete as neutral athletes, but only after they are cleared by an independent review to ensure they have not publicly supported the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated with Russia’s military or other forces.
What’s new: Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut, while skeleton has added a mixed team event, luge has added women’s doubles, and large hill ski jumping added women’s and men’s super team events.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will feature eight new medal events, including three in a discipline making its Olympic debut. The International Olympic Committee said the changes to the event will make the 2026 Winter Games the most gender-balanced in history. About 47% of the expected 2,900 athletes competing over the two-plus weeks will be women, according to the committee.
Here is a look at the additions to the Olympic program for the 2026 Winter Games:
Ski mountaineering
Ski mountaineering, also called "skimo," will make its Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games. A combination of uphill mountain climbing and downhill skiing, the competition will feature three events: men's sprint, women's sprint, and a mixed relay. The sport was included in the program at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games and was voted into the Winter Games in 2021.
Luge - women's doubles
After debuting the mixed team relay at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, the luge competition will feature another twist with the addition of the women's doubles event. The traditional open doubles luge had only included male competitors since its first Olympic appearance in 1964.
Ski jumping - women's large hill
The 2026 Games will see the first women's large hill event. It will complement the men's large hill individual ski jumping program. Distance and style are paramount for success in this event.
Skeleton - mixed team relay
Making its Olympic debut in Italy, mixed team relay sees one woman and one man complete back-to-back runs, combining their times for a final score.
Freestyle skiing - men's and women's dual moguls
Dual moguls has been added to the freestyle skiing program for the Milan-Cortina Games. Dual moguls features two skiers simultaneously competing against one another in runs down adjacent mogul courses. Whichever skier gets the most judges on their side wins and advances to the next round.
Alpine skiing - team combined
Team combined will make its first Olympic appearance at the 2026 Winter Games. Like its predecessor, Super Combined consists of two runs: a downhill and a slalom. The difference with the combined team is that each competitor is assigned to one. In super combined, one athlete is responsible for completing both. The duo with the fastest cumulative time wins.
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