Olympic Sports
During the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Cortina d’Ampezzo will host some of the most iconic disciplines of winter sports. Different in rules, characteristic,s and language, these sports are united by an exceptionally high level of technical excellence and spectacle.
In Cortina, these disciplines find one of their most authentic settings – places where technique meets Olympic history, and where each competition becomes part of a sporting narrative that spans time, renewing itself once again in 2026.
Curling
Curling is played on a straight ice sheet and features two teams taking turns sliding granite stones towards a circular target. The objective is to place one’s stones as close as possible to the center, combining strategy, precision, and teamwork. Teammates may sweep the ice in front of the stone to influence its speed and trajectory, making every action a tactical decision.
Luge
Luge is an individual or doubles discipline in which athletes race downhill in a supine position, feet first. Steering is achieved through subtle leg pressure on the runners and precise upper-body movements. It is a sport that combines very high speeds with great technical finesse, where even the smallest detail can influence the final result.
Skeleton
In skeleton, athletes compete individually, racing down the track in a prone position on a sled, head first. It is one of the most spectacular and mentally demanding disciplines in the Olympic programme: with no steering or brakes, control relies on subtle movements of the body and head. Speed, precision, and absolute control are essential, as is the ability to read the track curve by curve.
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh is a high-speed discipline contested on an ice track with banked curves. Teams, made up of two or four athletes, start the race with a running push before boarding the sled and tackling the course. The pilot steers the bobsleigh through minimal steering inputs, while teammates contribute to stability and speed. The team with the lowest combined time across multiple heats wins the competition. It is a sport that demands strength, team coordination, and exceptional driving sensitivity.
Women’s Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing includes several disciplines, each with specific technical characteristics:
- Downhill is the fastest discipline, featuring long courses, steep gradients, and spectacular jumps
- Super-G combines speed and precision, with a greater number of gates than downhill
- Giant Slalom is a technical event with wide turns and a consistent rhythm, rewarding fluid skiing and the ability to read the terrain
- Slalom is the most technical and quickest in terms of movement, with closely spaced gates that require reactivity, agility, and absolute precision.
For the first time in the Olympic programme of Milano Cortina 2026, the Team Combined event has been introduced. It features two athletes from the same country, each competing in a different discipline (downhill and slalom). The final standings are determined by adding together the times from the two races.
- Downhill is the fastest discipline, featuring long courses, steep gradients, and spectacular jumps
- Super-G combines speed and precision, with a greater number of gates than downhill
- Giant Slalom is a technical event with wide turns and a consistent rhythm, rewarding fluid skiing and the ability to read the terrain
- Slalom is the most technical and quickest in terms of movement, with closely spaced gates that require reactivity, agility, and absolute precision.
For the first time in the Olympic programme of Milano Cortina 2026, the Team Combined event has been introduced. It features two athletes from the same country, each competing in a different discipline (downhill and slalom). The final standings are determined by adding together the times from the two races.
