2026 Winter Olympics: Dates, sports, favourites, odds & number of medal events

By Klimentijs Konevs | Published: February 3, 2026

The XXV Winter Olympic Games are just around the corner. Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo will host the event that takes place from 6 to 22 February 2026 in Northern Italy. Overall, there are 116 medal events in 16 sports disciplines, so there's plenty of excitement ahead of us.

In this article, you'll find all the key information about the 2026 Winter Olympics, as MightyTips talks about top favourites in each discipline, while also analysing the odds and listing the dates for each medal event.

• Dates: 7-18 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 10

Both men and women will contest medals in downhill, giant slalom, slalom, and super-G. The mixed parallel team event was dropped after the 2022 Winter Olympics, while the alpine combined event in each gender was replaced by a team combined event for both men and women.

Mikaela Shiffrin, one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, will try to claim her third Olympic gold. The American will be one of the top favourites in the slalom and giant slalom events. Sofia Goggia is among Italy's biggest hopes on home snow in speed disciplines, while her compatriot, Federica Brignone, excels in Super-G. We also must mention Lindsey Vonn. The 41-year-old came out of retirement, as she'll try to win a medal in downhill skiing, 16 years after her triumph in Vancouver.

Having won the overall World Cup title in the last two seasons, Swiss Marco Odermatt is the best male skier. He is a strong favourite for downhill, giant slalom, and super-G disciplines. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen can claim a historical medal for Brazil in slalom or giant slalom. Another top contender in technical events is Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen.

• Dates: 8-21 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 10

Men and women will contest the same biathlon disciplines, but at different distances. Medals will be decided in the individual race, sprint, pursuit, and mass start. Team events will include the men's and women's relay, as well as the mixed relay. The Olympic biathlon programme remains unchanged compared to Beijing 2022.

Sturla Holm Laegreid is one of the favourites among men in the individual race. The reigning World Cup champion has near-perfect shooting accuracy, which is above the 90% mark. His compatriot Johan-Olav Botn is also a standout name here. The Norwegian is one of the fastest biathletes this season and is especially dangerous in sprint and pursuit races when shooting clean.

Elvira Oberg looks like the woman to beat in sprint races. Lou Jeanmonnot has also established herself as a genuine medal contender after a standout World Cup season. When it comes to the relay events, Norway and France appear a class above the rest and are the most likely teams to battle it out for the Olympic gold.

• Dates: 15-22 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 4

Bobsleigh will once again feature four disciplines, with women's monobob, introduced at the 2022 Winter Olympics, now firmly established in the Olympic programme. The men compete in the two-man and four-man events, while the women race in monobob and two-woman bobsleigh.

Francesco Friedrich claimed double gold at the IBSF World Championships in Lake Placid, winning both the two-man and four-man events. The German has extended his record as the most successful athlete in World Championship history. His closest rival at this year's Olympics is Johannes Lochner, who is capable of matching Friedrich run-for-run.

On the women's side, Kaillie Humphries is the clear favourite. She's a two-time Olympic champion in women's bobsleigh with Canada and the Olympic monobob gold medallist in 2022 with the United States. Germany's Laura Nolte remains a dangerous challenger, particularly in the two-woman event.

• Dates: 7-22 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 12

Men and women will contest for medals in the sprint (individual and team), as well as in distance race (freestyle interval start), skiathlon, classical mass start, and the relay.

Johannes Hosflot Klaebo is already one of the most decorated cross-country skiers in history, with over 100 World Cup victories. Klaebo made his debut at the Olympics in 2018 and won three gold medals. He became the youngest Olympic champion in this discipline at just 21. He added two golds, a silver and a bronze in Beijing 2022, and won all six men's events at the 2025 World Championships.

Sweden has one of the strongest individual threats in women’s races. Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson are both specialists in distance races and championship formats. Karlsson is a multi-time World Championship medallist, including relay golds and long-distance podiums. Andersson has similar big-race reliability. In the relay events, both Norway and Sweden look a step ahead of the rest.

• Dates: 4-22 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 3

Curling will feature three disciplines: men's, women's, and mixed doubles. Each tournament uses the classic Olympic format, starting with a round-robin phase before moving into the semifinals and medal games.

In the men's tournament, Niklas Edin from Sweden is the most decorated skip of his generation, still chasing the Olympic gold missing from his resume. Close behind is Bruce Mouat, who has made Great Britain a constant title contender in recent years.

As hosts, Italy is a major storyline, especially in mixed doubles where they are the defending Olympic champions. Nations such as Switzerland and the United States round out a tightly packed group of medal contenders.

• Dates: 6-19 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 5

Figure skating at Milano-Cortina will be contested across five events: men's singles, women's singles, pairs, ice dance, and the team event.

In the men's and women's events, the United States and Japan arrive as the strongest overall forces. The USA headline the men's field, led by Ilia Malinin, while Japan continue to set the benchmark for consistency and medal depth across both singles and pairs. In the women's competition, Alysa Liu is expected to win, but the American will have to beat the Japanese duo of Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba.

• Dates: 7-21 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 15

Freestyle skiing has one of the most diverse Olympic programmes, with men and women competing for gold in aerials, moguls, ski cross, halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air, alongside the mixed team aerials event.

Eileen Gu, representing the Republic of China, is the biggest star at the moment. She became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing after winning two gold medals and one silver at Beijing 2022. She is also the first athlete in this sport to claim three medals at a single Winter Olympics. Gu topped her qualifying heat at the Slopestyle World Cup in Laax, then followed it up with her first halfpipe World Cup victory of the season in December.

• Dates: 5-22 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 2

Ice hockey is the main sport everyone will be watching at the Olympics. It features 12 men's teams and 10 women's teams. The participants were selected primarily based on the IIHF World Rankings, with host nation Italy and teams coming through final qualification tournaments. It will be the first Olympic Games since 2014 to feature NHL players.

Canada and the United States stand clearly at the top of the field and enter the tournament as the two favourites for gold. Sweden sit just a step behind. All three nations will register full NHL-strength squads. Canada are nine-time Olympic champions and have won 16 Olympic medals in total, the all-time record in men's ice hockey at the Winter Games. The picture on the women's side is totally similar: Canada and the US are the ones to battle it out for the gold.

• Dates: 7-12 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 5

Luge will feature five events in total: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, plus the team relay. Qualification has been decided according to the results of the World Cup races and the Olympic test.

Julia Taubitz is one of the athletes to watch most closely. The German star has dominated the World Cup scene, winning the overall title five times. This streak includes every season from 2022 to 2025. This level of consistency is matched only by Natalie Geisenberger, who is considered the greatest female luger of all time. A crash ruined Taubitz's medal chances in Beijing 2022, but this year gives a perfect opportunity for redemption.

Felix Loch is a three-time Olympic champion and the current leader of the World Cup in men's singles. He has been a constant threat over the past season. His compatriot Max Langenhan is another major contender in men’s singles, and Germany will surely win the relay event.

• Dates: 11-19 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 3

Nordic combined will have a very different programme compared to the recent Olympics. The field has been cut down to just 36 athletes, with a maximum of three per nation. The traditional team event has also been replaced by a faster team sprint. With qualification tightly linked to World Cup results, simply earning a spot at the Games has already been a major achievement for many athletes.

At the top of the contenders' list is Johannes Lamparter, who looks like the natural heir to the throne after the retirement of Norway's dominant generation. The Austrian stands out because he has no real weakness: his ski jumping is reliable enough to keep him close to the front, while his cross-country skiing is among the very best in the field. Add in his proven big-event mentality and strong recent World Cup results, and it's clear why Lamparter enters the Games as the top favourite.

• Dates: 10-20 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 9

Short-track speed skating will once again feature nine events: three individual races for both men and women, alongside the men's relay, women's relay, and the mixed relay. Races take place on the tight 111.12-metre oval in Milan.

William Dandjinou of Canada stands out as the main favourite. He has dominated the World Tour over the past two seasons, winning back-to-back Crystal Globes and showing remarkable results across the sprint distances. He is a serious medal threat both individually and in team races.

For the women, Courtney Sarault leads Canada's charge in outstanding form. She topped the overall World Tour standings and has repeatedly shown she can control races, whether it's the 500 or the 1500 metres.

• Dates: 12-15 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 3

Skeleton will be contested in three events: men's and women's singles, plus the mixed team competition, which appears on the Olympic programme for the first time. Athletes hurtle head-first down the track in a series of timed runs, and medals are decided by the lowest combined time.

Matt Weston is the clear favourite in this one. The British slider has owned the World Cup season, claiming his third consecutive overall title and winning five of the seven races. He's the reigning world champion as well. Great Britain had a very difficult Beijing Games, failing to claim any medals in skeleton. Now, four years later, Weston has a real chance of bringing a gold medal back home. For the women's side, Tabby Stoecker will try to claim gold after finishing third in the overall World Cup standings and playing a key role in Britain's mixed team success.

• Dates: 7-16 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 6

Ski jumping will include individual events for both men and women, as well as the men's team and mixed team competitions. Nations earned their Olympic places through results in the World Cup, Grand Prix, and Continental Cup during the 2024-26 seasons. With strict quotas in place, nations that manage to qualify full squads hold a clear advantage, especially in the team-based events.

Domen Prevc is the headline act this season, leading the World Cup by a huge margin. His biggest rivals are the Japanese duo of Ryōyū Kobayashi and Ren Nikaidō. However, Austria and Germany also have strong athletes capable of claiming medals this year.

For women, it's hard to look past Nika Prevc. She's won the overall World Cup twice, swept last season with 15 wins, and then added two individual world titles in 2025. Right now, she's the standard everyone else is chasing.

• Dates: 19-21 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 3

Ski mountaineering makes its Olympic debut at Milano-Cortina, and will include three events on the programme: men's sprint, women's sprint, and a mixed relay. Only 36 athletes qualify overall, which makes the field small but exceptionally strong.

Oriol Cardona Coll is the reigning world sprint champion. The Spaniard backed it up by winning the ISMF World Cup sprint title, including victory at the Olympic test event in Bormio. This makes him a favourite to take the gold medal this year.

For the women, the French athlete Emily Harrop swept every World Cup sprint race during the 2024/25 season on her way to another overall title. She remains the reference point for consistency and speed. If she reproduces that form in Italy, she will be extremely hard to stop.

• Dates: 5-18 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 11

Snowboarding's full programme is back again, covering slopestyle and big air, halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, snowboard cross, and the mixed team snowboard cross event. With close to 240 riders qualifying across men's and women's competitions, several athletes will be chasing medals in more than one discipline thanks to the flexible qualification rules.

In the halfpipe, Scotty James has unfinished business. Despite collecting multiple X Games titles and Olympic medals, gold has so far slipped out of his reach, and this could be his best chance yet. He'll face resistance from Japan's Ayumu Hirano, the reigning Olympic champion. Over in slopestyle and big air, riders like Red Gerard have the creativity and composure to land a medal-winning run.

In the women's field, it's hard to look past Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. She became the first woman to land a triple cork in slopestyle competition, and that technical edge puts her in position to defend her Olympic title. Big air is another strong opportunity for her, building on the bronze she won in 2018 and the silver in 2022. The halfpipe is once again Chloe Kim's to take. She's chasing a third consecutive Olympic gold this year.

• Dates: 7-21 February, 2026

• Number of medal events: 14

Speed skating will be contested at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, with a full Olympic programme covering all the classic distances. Men and women will race from the explosive 500 metres up to the 10,000 metres (men only), alongside the mass start and team pursuit.

The men's competition feels wide open compared to four years ago. With several stars from Beijing now retired, Jordan Stolz is the man to watch. The American has raised the bar across the 500m, 1000m and 1500m. He won't have it all his own way, though. Italy's Davide Ghiotto has taken control of the long distances.

Joy Beune has stepped into a leading role in the longer distances following the retirements of Dutch legends, while Miho Takagi remains a constant threat across the 1000m and 1500m. In the sprint events, Femke Kok is pushing the limits in the 500m, but Erin Jackson is aiming to defend her Olympic sprint crown.

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