Image: The Guardian / The Winter Olympics run from 6–22 February, with some competitions beginning before the opening ceremony. Photograph: Maja Hitij/Getty Images. Source: theguardian.com
The 2026 Winter Olympics ran from February 6-22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. If you missed it, slept through the time difference, or just want a proper recap, here’s everything worth knowing.
The Basics
Milano Cortina 2026 was the first Winter Olympics to be officially co-hosted by two cities. Milan handled the ice events (figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating), while Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno, and Val di Fiemme hosted the snow and sliding sports. The Closing Ceremony was held at the Verona Arena, a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre. Over 3,500 athletes from 93 countries competed across 116 medal events in 16 disciplines.
New this year: ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut, and the Oscars of sport added women’s large hill ski jumping, dual moguls, and several other events for the first time. NHL players returned to the ice hockey tournament for the first time since 2014, which made the men’s hockey competition genuinely must-watch television.
Medal Count: Top 10
Norway dominated again with 18 golds and 41 total medals, breaking their own record of 39 set at PyeongChang 2018. The USA came second with 12 golds and 33 total. Host nation Italy had a massive home Games with 10 golds and 30 total medals.
The full top 10: Norway (41), USA (33), Italy (30), Germany (26), Japan (24), France (23), Switzerland (23), Canada (21), Netherlands (20), Sweden (18).
The biggest individual story was Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, who won six gold medals, the most golds at a single Winter Olympics ever, and now holds 11 career golds, the all-time Winter Olympic record.
Brazil made history by winning the country’s first ever Winter Olympic medal (and it was gold), making them the first tropical and South American nation to medal at a Winter Games.
How Did Australia Do?
Australia had its best ever Winter Olympics. Six medals: three gold, two silver, one bronze. This smashed the previous record of four medals at Beijing 2022, and the three golds were extraordinary for a country that sent its first Winter Olympian just 90 years ago.
Gold medallists: Cooper Woods (men’s moguls, in a dramatic tiebreak win over Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury), Jakara Anthony (women’s moguls, defending her Beijing gold), and Josie Baff (snowboard).
Silver: Scotty James (men’s halfpipe snowboard) and Danielle Scott (freestyle skiing aerials).
Bronze: Matt Graham (men’s moguls).
Australia sent its second-largest ever Winter Olympic team of 53 athletes. For a beach nation, that’s a seriously impressive haul.
The Biggest Moments
The men’s ice hockey gold medal game between the USA and Canada on the final day was the headline event. With NHL players back, it was the most anticipated hockey game in over a decade. The US won in overtime.
The Opening Ceremony at San Siro Stadium featured Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, and Laura Pausini. The Closing Ceremony at the Verona Arena featured ballet dancer Roberto Bolle. Two Olympic cauldrons were lit, one in Milan and one in Cortina, a first in Games history.
What’s Next
The Paralympic Winter Games ran from March 6-15, also in Milano Cortina. The next Winter Olympics will be the French Alps 2030, followed by Salt Lake City 2034. The next Summer Olympics are the LA 2028 Games.
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