2026 Olympics: Winter Games’ Dates, Logo, Location and Schedule.
Unbelievably, the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are almost over. The closing ceremony is set for Sunday afternoon, and most of the medals have already been given out. For those who truly love the Olympics, there’s good news: the next edition won’t be here for another 1.5 years. The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in early February and include 116 medal events over 16 sports, mostly in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
While it’s a far cry from the 329 medal events held in Paris this summer, the Milano Cortina Games will bring more than two full weeks of sporting action.
2026 Winter Olympics When: 6–22 February, 2026 Ceremony of Opening: February 6, 2026 Where: Italy Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo are the host cities. Events: 116 Medal Competitions A few other firsts will also be witnessed at the 2026 Olympics, such as the first-ever official hosting of the Games by numerous cities.
For the first time since the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, the opening and closing ceremonies will be held at different venues. The opening ceremony is set to take place at San Siro Stadium in Milan, while the closing ceremony is scheduled for Verona Arena in Verona.
In a true first, the Olympics logo, known as “Futura” was selected via an open vote:
The logo incorporates the number “26” and is stylized with a single white line that reflects “Milano Cortina 2026’s ambition to place sustainability and legacy at its core,” according to Olympics.com.
The official mascots for the 2025 Olympics are stoats siblings Tina and Milo, who are named after the two host cities. Tina will serve as the mascot of the 2026 Winter Olympics, while Milo will be the mascot of the 2026 Winter Paralympics.
Italy, which has held three Olympics in the past, could provide a stunning setting for many Olympic competitions, both historical and contemporary. According to American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, “I think it’s going to be really exciting,” NBC reported. “It’s a great location, particularly for alpine.Alpine athletes are familiar with Cortina because it is a frequent stop on the World Cup Tour.” A few brand-new competitions will be added to the 2026 Games lineup in addition to classic sports like hockey, figure skating, and alpine skiing. In skeleton, a mixed-team competition will be held for the first time, while ski mountaineering, or skimo, will have its Olympic debut.
In the skimo event, competitors must use specialized equipment to go uphill and across rough terrain before skiing downhill. Men’s and women’s double luge, men’s and women’s dual moguls, and women’s large-hill individual ski jumping are among the other new events. A few things will probably happen before the opening ceremony on February 6—the Paris Olympics had two days of competition before the formal opening day. The whole Olympic schedule won’t be announced until closer to the games.
The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games will be a couple of weeks after the closing ceremony and will take place between March 6 and March 16.
Global broadcast options will vary from country to country, but NBC is to set to hold the broadcast rights in the United States, while Warner Bros. Discovery is set to hold the European broadcast rights.
