The last time Cortina hosted an Olympic Games, things looked a little bit different. 

The year was 1956. Cortina d’Ampezzo was the host city for a Winter Olympics that brought together 32 nations to compete in eight sports, and it was the first time people were able to watch the Winter Games on TV in the United States.  

Now, 70 years later, Cortina will serve as a host city again — this time for athletes from over 90 nations, competing in 16 sports, in a Games that will go down in history books for different reasons.  

Geographic Milestones

The 2026 Winter Olympics will call both Milan and Cortina home, marking the first time in Olympic history, winter or summer, that two cities will officially host the Games. 

With two cities assuming host duties, the 2026 Games will be the most geographically spread-out in Olympic history. Indoor events including hockey, speed skating, short track and figure skating will be contested in Milan, while sliding events such as bobsled, luge, skeleton and curling will take place roughly 250 miles away in Cortina. Men’s Alpine skiing events will be contested in Bormio, while Livigno will host freestyle skiing and snowboard events. With competition set to take place across 15 venues, the 2026 Winter Olympics will span nearly 8,500 square miles of northern Italy. 

Sport and Event Debuts

For the first time in over 20 years, the Winter Olympics will introduce a brand new sport. Ski mountaineering will make its debut at Milan Cortina, bringing the sport total to 16 — the most ever contested at a Winter Games.

The 2026 Games will also introduce eight new medal events, including three in each discipline of skimo: women’s sprint, men’s sprint and mixed relay. Medals will also be awarded in five new events: women’s doubles in luge, women’s individual large hill in ski jumping, mixed team event in skeleton and women’s and men’s dual moguls in freestyle skiing.

With 116 medal events set to be contested, Milan Cortina will set a Winter Olympics record. 

Record-Setting Athlete Participation 

Over 90 nations will be represented at the Milan Cortina Olympics, with around 2,900 athletes expected to compete. 

The United States' roster consists of 232 athletes, marking the USA's largest ever winter Olympic team. This roster will surpass the 228 Team USA athletes that competed at PyeongChang in 2018. 

Milan Cortina will also be the most gender-balanced Winter Games to date, with a record-setting 50 women’s events set to be contested. Women are expected to make up more than 47 percent of the athletes competing, an increase from the 45 percent that competed at Beijing in 2022.