2026 Winter Olympics Top Athletes, Event Schedule and Medal History
The 2026 Milano Cortina Games are almost here. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday, with the Olympics' first events unfolding two days prior. From there, it will be a thrilling run to the final events and the closing ceremony on February 22.
Over the next two-plus weeks, some of the world's best athletes will compete in eight winter sports, 16 disciplines, and 116 medal events. Many of them will be looking to top Norway, which led the 2022 Olympics with 37 total medals and 16 golds.
Here's a quick preview of what to expect as Milano and Cortina d'Ampezzo play host to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Recent Medal History
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Norway has been a dominant force during recent Winter Olympics, largely due to the nation having some of the world's best athletes in some of the specialized sports.
Biathlon star Johannes Thingnes Bø, for example, won five total medals and four golds at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
Noway led the 2022 medal count with 37 total, while the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) came in second with 32. Germany had 27 total medals but an impressive 12 golds, while Canada and the United States rounded out the top five with 26 and 25 total medals, respectively.
Norway's 16 gold medals set a record for the most in a single Winter Olympics.
In the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, Norway also led with 39 total medals and 13 golds. Germany finished second with 31 total medals and 14 golds, while Canada finished third with 29 medals and 11 golds. The United States and the Netherlands rounded out the top five with 23 and 20 medals, respectively.
While Norway led the 2014 Sochi Olympics with 11 gold medals, Russia led the total medal count with 29, while the U. S. had 28, and Norway finished third with 27.
It's worth noting that Russia won't compete as a nation this year. As was the case at the 2024 Summer Olympics, competitors from Russia and Belarus can instead compete as individual neutral athletes (AINs). Norway, though, is the early favorite to lead the 2026 Olympics in gold medals, according to Odds Shark.
Top Athletes to Watch
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Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Alpine Skiing
Mikaela Shiffrin of Team USA recently won her ninth slalom season title and enters the Milano Cortina Games as arguably the most successful skier in modern history. Her 71 race wins in slalom and 108 overall are both all-time career records.
Shiffrin will look to continue her dominance at this year's Olympics, though she has admitted it will be a challenge.
"I've had great Olympics, I've had tough Olympics, I try to go in with an open mind, good spirit, trusting my team," Shiffrin said, per The Associated Press.
Ilia Malinin (USA), Figure Skating
21-year-old phenom Ilia Malinin figures to be one of the stars of this year's figure skating competition. To date, Malinin is the only figure skater who has successfully landed a quadruple axel in competition.
Though Malinin is a two-time world champion and a three-time Grand Prix-winner, he's set to make his Olympic debut later this month.
"Of course, there's going to be a lot of pressure," Malinin said, per Rohan Nadkarni of NBC News, "especially because it's my first Olympics, and it's going to be just something that I'll have to look into."
Ester Ledecká (Czechia), Snowboarding and Alpine Skiing
Czechia's Ester Ledecká earned a special place in history at the 2018 Olympics when she won gold medals in two entirely different sports—Super-G alpine skiing and the parallel giant slalom (PGS) in snowboarding. Ledecká will go for her third straight gold in the PGS, but she had to forgo the women's downhill because of how the events are scheduled.
"I cried a bit few times about it, but we did the best we could," Ledecká said, per Olympics.com.
The women's downhill and PGS are both scheduled on February 8 at different locations, making it impossible for Ledecká to compete in both. However, she'll have a chance to compete in the women's Super G on February 12, according to Joseph Wilson of the Associated Press.
2026 Winter Olympics Medal Event Schedule
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Saturday, February 7
Alpine Skiing: Men's Downhill (5:30 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Women's 3000m (10:00 a.m. ET)
Ski Jumping: Women's Normal Hill (1:57 p.m. ET)
Snowboarding: Men's Big Air (1:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, February 8
Alpine Skiing: Women's Downhill (5:30 a.m. ET)
Snowboarding: Women's and Men's Parallel Giant Slalom (7:00 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Mixed Relay 4x6km (8:05 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Men's 5000m (10:00 a.m. ET)
Luge: Men's Singles Runs 3 & 4 (11:00 a.m. ET)
Figure Skating: Team Event (1:30 p.m. ET)
Monday, February 9
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Slopestyle Final (6:30 a.m. ET)
Alpine Skiing: Men's Team Combined Slalom (8:00 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Women's 1000m (11:30 a.m. ET)
Ski Jumping: Men's Normal Hill (12:00 p.m. ET)
Snowboarding: Women's Big Air (1:30 p.m. ET)
Tuesday, February 10
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Slopestyle Final (6:30 a.m. ET)
Short Track Speed Skating: Mixed Relay Final (6:56 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Men's 20km Individual (7:30 a.m. ET)
Cross-Country Skiing: Women's Sprint Classic Final (7:13 a.m. ET)
Cross-Country Skiing: Men's Sprint Classic Final (7:25 a.m. ET)
Alpine Skiing: Women's Team Combined Slalom (8:00 a.m. ET)
Luge: Women's Singles Runs 3 & 4 (11:00 a.m. ET)
Ski Jumping: Mixed Team Finals (11:30 a.m. ET)
Curling: Mixed Doubles Gold Medal (12:05 p.m. ET)
Wednesday, February 11
Nordic Combined: Normal Hill Jump & 10km Cross-Country (4:00 a.m. & 7:45 a.m.)
Alpine Skiing: Men's Super-G (5:30 a.m.)
Biathlon: Women's 15km Individual (8:15 a.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Moguls Final 1 & 2 (8:15 a.m.)
Luge: Men's and Women's Doubles Runs 1 & 2 (11:00 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Men's 1000m (12:30 p.m. ET)
Figure Skating: Ice Dance - Free Dance (1:30 p.m. ET)
Thursday, February 12
Alpine Skiing: Women's Super-G (5:30 a.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Moguls Final Runs 1 & 2 (6:15 a.m. ET)
Snowboarding: Men's Snowboard Cross (7:45 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Women's 5000m (10:30 a.m. ET)
Luge: Team Relay (12:30 p.m. ET)
Snowboarding: Women's Halfpipe Final (1:30 p.m. ET)
Short Track Speed Skating: Women's 500m Final A (3:31 p.m. ET)
Short Track Speed Skating: Men's 1000m Final A (3:43 p.m. ET)
Friday, February 13
Snowboarding: Women's Snowboard Cross (7:30 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Men's 10km Sprint (8:00 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Men's 10,000m (10:00 a.m. ET)
Figure Skating: Men's Free Skate (1:00 p.m. ET)
Skeleton: Men's Heats 3 & 4 (1:30 p.m. ET)
Snowboard: Men's Halfpipe Final (1:30 p.m. ET)
Saturday, February 14
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Dual Moguls (4:30 a.m. ET)
Cross-Country Skiing: Women's 4 x 7.5km Relay (6:00 a.m. ET)
Alpine Skiing: Men's Giant Slalom Run 2 (7:30 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Women's 7.5km Sprint (8:45 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Men's 500m (11:00 a.m. ET)
Skeleton: Women's Heats 3 & 4 (12:00 p.m. ET)
Short Track Speed Skating: Men's 1500m Final A (4:34 p.m. ET)
Sunday, February 15
Alpine Skiing: Women's Giant Slalom Run 1 (4:00 a.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Dual Moguls (4:30 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Men's 12.5km Pursuit (5:15 a.m. ET)
Cross-Country Skiing: Men's 4 x 7.5km Relay (6:00 a.m. ET)
Alpine Skiing: Women's Giant Slalom Run 2 (7:30 a.m. ET)
Snowboard Cross: Mixed Team (7:45 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Women's 10km Pursuit (8:45 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Women's 500m (11:03 a.m. ET)
Ski Jumping: Women's Large Hill (11:30 a.m. ET)
Skeleton: Mixed Team (12:00 p.m. ET)
Monday, February 16
Short Track Speed Skating: Women's 1000m Final A (6:42 a.m. ET)
Alpine Skiing: Men's Slalom Run 2 (7:30 a.m. ET)
Ski Jumping: Men's Super Team (12:00 p.m. ET)
Bobsled: Women's Monobob Heats 3 & 4 (1:00 p.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Big Air (1:30 p.m. ET)
Figure Skating: Pairs' Free Skate (2:00 p.m. ET)
Tuesday, February 17
Nordic Combined: Men's Large Hill Jump & 10km Cross-Country (4:00 a.m. & 7:45 a.m.)
Snowboard: Women's Slopestyle Final (7:00 a.m.)
Biathlon: Men's 4 x 7.5km Relay (8:30 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Men's & Women's Team Pursuit (8:30 a.m. ET)
Bobsleigh: Two-man Heats 3 & 4 (1:00 p.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Big Air (1:30 p.m. ET)
Wednesday, February 18
Cross-Country Skiing: Women's and Men's Team Sprint Free (3:45 a.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Aerials Finals 1 & 2 (5:30 a.m. ET)
Snowboard: Men's Slopestyle Final (6:30 a.m. ET)
Alpine Skiing: Women's Slalom Run 2 (7:30 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Women's 4 x 6km Relay (8:45 a.m. ET)
Short Track Speed Skating: Women's 3000m Relay Finals B & A (2:50 p.m. ET)
Short Track Speed Skating: Men's 500m Finals B & A (3:24 p.m. ET)
Thursday, February 19
Ski Mountaineering: Men's & Women's Sprint (3:50 a.m. ET)
Nordic Combined: Team Sprint (4:00 a.m. & 8:00 a.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Aerials Finals 1 & 2 (5:30 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Men's 1500m (10:30 a.m. ET)
Figure Skating: Women's Free Skate (1:00 p.m. ET)
Ice Hockey: Women's Gold Medal Game (1:10 p.m. ET)
Friday, February 20
Biathlon: Men's 15km Mass Start (8:15 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Women's 1500m (10:30 a.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Halfpipe (1:30 p.m. ET)
Short Track Speed Skating: Women's 1500m, Men's 5000m Relay (2:15 p.m. ET)
Saturday, February 21
Freestyle Skiing: Mixed Team Aerials (4:45 a.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Ski Cross (6:00 a.m. ET)
Ski Mountaineering: Mixed Relay (7:30 a.m. ET)
Biathlon: Women's 12.5km Mass Start (8:15 a.m. ET)
Speed Skating: Men's & Women's Mass Start (9:00 a.m. ET)
Curling: Men's Gold Medal Game (1:05 p.m. ET)
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Halfpipe Final (1:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, February 22
Bobsleigh: Four-Man Runs 3 & 4 (4:00 a.m. ET)
Curling: Women's Gold Medal Game (5:05 a.m. ET)
Ice Hockey: Men's Gold Medal Game (8:10 a.m. ET)
*Complete schedule can be found at Olympics.com
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