The 25th edition of the Winter Olympics will officially get underway from Friday. Feb. 6. The Games are commonly called as Milano Cortina 2026, as Italy's Milan and Cortina are the two host cities of the quadrennial event. This is the first time that two cities are co-hosting Winter Olympic Games. This is the fourth time Italy is hosting the Winter Olympic Games. The previous editions of the Winter Games that were held in the European nation were 1956 (Cortina), 1960 (Rome) and 2006 (Turin).
Over 3,000 athletes from over 90 countries will be competing at Milano Cortina Games. There are 116 medal-events across 16 disciplines planned over the course of 19 days.
2026 Winter Olympics: Sports
The 16 sports disciplines which are part of these Olympics are as follows:
- Alpine skiing
- Biathlon
- Bobsleig
- Cross-country skiing
- Curlin
- Figure skating
- Freestyle skiing
- Ice hockey
- Luge
- Nordic combins
- Short track speed skating
- Skeleton
- Ski jumping
- Ski mountaineering
- Snowboard
- Speed skating
2026 Winter Olympics: Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony for the Games will be held at the iconic San Siro Stadium which is the the home ground of Italy's two most iconic football teams AC Milan and Inter Milan. Around 60,000 spectators are expected to attend the Opening Ceremony. Ahead of the Games Pope Leo appealed to the world leaders to use the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics to promote peace. Norway, China and USA are expected to dominate the medal tally at these Games.
India's Participation At 2026 Winter Olympics
India will be represented by two athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The two athletes are: Arif Mohammad Khan and Stanzin Lundup. While Arif has qualified for Alpine Skiing, Stanzip will be competing in Cross-country skiing.
India's History In Winter Olympics
The first edition of the Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 but it was only in 1964 that India sent its first contingent at the Games. Including the 2026 Winter Olympics, India has participated across 11 different editions of Winter Olympics. 17 different athletes have represented India at the Winter Games. Shiva Keshvan is India's most experienced campaigner at Winter Olympics. He represented India in six editions of the Games in Luge. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Arif Khan became the first Indian to qualify for two separate events directly when he earned qualification in slalom and giant slalom. India are yet to win a medal at the Winter Olympic Games.
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