The Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games officially opened this Friday, February 6, with a grand Opening Ceremony at Milan’s San Siro Stadium, marking the start of two weeks of top-level competition across northern Italy, where nearly 2,900 athletes from more than 90 countries will compete in one of the most geographically expansive Winter Olympics in history.
Unlike traditional single-city Olympics, Milan-Cortina 2026 is hosted across multiple clusters stretching hundreds of kilometres. Events are being held in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Dolomite regions of Predazzo and Tesero, and the Alpine resorts of Livigno and Bormio, blending urban culture with historic winter-sport venues.
Opening Ceremony Across Multiple Venues
The Games were officially opened at San Siro Stadium in Milan, with a ceremony featuring international music stars and Italian cultural icons. Due to the wide distance between venues, additional opening celebrations were staged in Cortina and other host towns, each with its own Olympic cauldron, allowing athletes based outside Milan to take part. For Great Britain, Lilah Fear and Brad Hall carried the national flag. According to BBC Sport, this multi-ceremony approach was designed to reflect the unique, decentralised nature of the 2026 Games.
Team GB’s Strong Medal Hopes
Team GB enters the Games with growing confidence. UK Sport estimates Britain could win up to eight medals, potentially making this the country’s most successful Winter Olympics. Medal hopes include skeleton racers Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt, snowboarders Mia Brookes and Charlotte Bankes, freestyle skiers Kirsty Muir and Zoe Atkin, and figure skaters Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear, who are chasing Britain’s first Olympic skating medal since 1994.
New Sports and Expanded Events
Milan-Cortina 2026 also brings innovation. Ski mountaineering makes its Olympic debut, featuring sprint events for men and women and a mixed relay. Several new medal events have been added across disciplines such as moguls, luge, ski jumping, skeleton and alpine skiing, increasing the number of podium opportunities and adding fresh excitement to the programme.
Build-Up Challenges and Controversies
Preparations for the Games were not without difficulty. While many venues were existing facilities, new infrastructure, particularly the Milano Santagiulia ice hockey arena, faced delays and criticism close to the start of the competition. Italy also suffered an early setback when biathlete Rebecca Passler was removed from the Games after failing a doping test just days before the opening ceremony.
Russian and Belarusian Athletes
Athletes from Russia and Belarus are competing under strict conditions as Individual Neutral Athletes, following the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines linked to the war in Ukraine. Only a limited number were approved, and they are barred from national symbols, making the issue one of the most closely monitored aspects of the Games.
A Defining Winter Games
Despite logistical hurdles and political sensitivities, Milan-Cortina 2026 promises high drama, historic moments and breathtaking performances. Set against Italy’s iconic Alpine landscapes, the Winter Olympics aim to celebrate sporting excellence, resilience and the unifying power of global competition.
