SPORTSDISTINCTION  02.26

Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics will make history as the most spread-out Winter Games in history, with competition ranging across three different Italian regions: Lombardia (which includes Milan), Trentino and Veneto. The Opening Ceremony will also span the many competition clusters, ensuring every athlete has a chance to partake, along with having two Olympic cauldrons in Milan and Cortina.

A homecoming 70 years in the making

It’s been 70 years since the Winter Olympics were last hosted in Cortina. The passion of Northern Italians remains the same and it will be fully evident at the Opening Ceremonies on Friday, February 6, 2026.

A Tale of Two Cities

With the Opening Ceremony taking place simultaneously in both Milan and Cortina, the Italian host nation is taking the unprecedented step of having four flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony, ensuring each celebration will have two representatives as the cauldrons are lit.

Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic Return

Lindsey Vonn officially came out of retirement in 2025, and she’s returning in 2026 to make Olympic history. Bode Miller is the oldest Alpine skier to win a medal at 41 years and 30 days, but if Vonn finds her way to the podium at Milan Cortina, she’ll surpass his mark at 41 years and 120 days. The feat would deepen her already stellar legacy.

Switzerland’s ‘Swissblade’ Marco Odermatt

Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, nicknamed the ‘Swissblade’, has been the most dominant Alpine skier since the 2022 Olympics, and his dominance in both speed and technical events will be thrilling to watch. Odermatt’s brilliance in skiing comes from a rare combination of exceptional technique, the mental fortitude to handle extreme speed and pressure, and intense physical conditioning. He is considered one of the most complete skiers of his generation, excelling across multiple disciplines including downhill, super-G, and giant slalom. In four years, he’s won four consecutive World Cup titles and three world championships gold medals.

Resurgence of Mikaela Shiffrin

Mikaela Shiffrin finished 16th overall in the 2024-25 Alpine ski World Cup standings. The last time she ranked outside the top 10 was as a 16-year-old rookie in 2012. A puncture wound to her oblique and subsequent bout with PTSD cut Shiffrin’s campaign short, but earning a medal at Milan Cortina would take her back to the top and eradicate the medal-less demons that have plagued her since the 2022 Beijing Games.

The U.S. Women’s Team

Beyond watching Vonn and Shiffrin at Milan Cortina, Breezy Johnson and Lauren Macuga are other exciting athletes to watch. Johnson wowed the crowds with her athletic speed at the 2025 World Championships, earning gold in the downhill and team combined events, while Macuga won her first World Cup event and world championship medal last season at just 23 years old. Another contender is Paula Moltzan who placed second in the inaugural World Cup event of the 2025-26 season in Soelden, Austria. Keep your eyes, too, on Jessie Diggins (cross-country skiing) and Chloe Kim (snowboarding).

The U.S. Men’s Team

Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the only American Alpine skier to medal at the 2022 Beijing Games, comes from a pedigreed background: His mother, Barbara Cochran, won a gold medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics. Cochran-Siegle and Ben Ritchie placed 4th together in the team combined event at the 2025 World Championships, and they are hoping to carry that momentum into Milan Cortina. Other up-and-coming talents include Jordan Stolz (speed skating), River Radamus (alpine skiing), Alex Ferreira (freestyle skiing) and skaters like Ilia Malinin (figure skating).