With a new year now underway, attention is quickly turning to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. In less than a month, more than 50 Australian athletes are expected to compete in Italy, with the Australian Olympic Committee forecasting one of Australia's strongest Winter Olympic campaigns to date.

Beyond medal prospects, Milano Cortina 2026 is shaping up to be a defining moment for winter sport. A brand-new sport will appear on the Olympic program for the first time in nearly three decades, alongside a range of new events across existing disciplines and a host setting unlike any previous Winter Games.

What's new?

For the first time since snowboarding was introduced in 1998, a new sport will be contested at the Winter Olympics.

Ski mountaineering

Ski mountaineering, often referred to as skimo, will make its Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026.

The sport combines uphill climbing and downhill skiing, with athletes using skins attached to their skis to ascend steep terrain before racing back down technical courses. Events are fast-paced, physically demanding and require a unique blend of endurance, speed and technical skill. It'll be one to watch!

At the 2026 Games, medals will be awarded in:

• Men's sprint
• Women's sprint
• Mixed relay, featuring one male and one female athlete per team

Ski mountaineering's inclusion reflects the growth of endurance-based winter sports globally and adds a new dimension to the Olympic schedule.

Among the Australian athletes pursuing qualification in ski mountaineering are Lara Hamilton and 19-year-old Ava McCann, both of whom are fundraising with the Australian Sports Foundation to support their international campaigns and Olympic qualification journeys.

(Image credit: Lara Hamilton)

New events at Milano Cortina 2026

Alongside the introduction of ski mountaineering, Milano Cortina 2026 will feature several new events across existing Winter Olympic sports. These additions expand the competition schedule and create new opportunities for athletes, while continuing to move the Olympic program towards a more even spread of events for women and men.

Women's doubles luge

Women's doubles will be contested at the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2026. The event brings the women's luge program into closer alignment with the men's competition and reflects the growth of women's participation in the sport at an international level.

Women's large hill ski jumping

The addition of the women's large hill event allows female ski jumpers to compete on the same scale as the men's competition. Previously limited to the normal hill at the Olympics, the expanded program recognises the progression of the women's field in recent years.

Mixed team relay skeleton

Skeleton will introduce a mixed team relay format at Milano Cortina, with each team made up of one male and one female athlete. Combined times will determine final placings, adding a new strategic and collaborative element to the discipline.

Men's and women's dual moguls in freestyle skiing

Dual moguls will make its Olympic debut for both men and women in 2026. While the head-to-head format has been featured on the international freestyle skiing circuit for decades, its inclusion at the Games adds another fast-paced event to the moguls program, with athletes qualifying for individual moguls also competing in dual moguls.

Team combined alpine skiing

The combined event will appear on the Olympic program following its recent introduction at junior and world championship levels. The format pairs two athletes from the same nation, one competing in downhill and the other in slalom, with results decided by cumulative time across both runs.

Men's super team ski jumping

A men's super team event will also be added to the ski jumping program at Milano Cortina 2026. The format introduces a shorter, more dynamic team competition that places greater emphasis on consistency and teamwork across multiple jumps.

(Image credit: Duncan Cowan)

A Winter Games spread across Italy

Milano Cortina 2026 will also stand apart from previous Winter Olympics due to its scale and geography. Competition will be spread across multiple regions in northern Italy, making this one of the most geographically dispersed Winter Games in history.

Events will take place across Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and several other mountain clusters, with the closing ceremony set to be held in Verona.

Recently, ice hockey venues in Milan have drawn attention, with new arenas said to have still been under construction in December 2025, just two months out from the Games. What's slightly out of the ordinary for these Games is that the dimensions of the main ice hockey rink will use a hybrid size between NHL and IIHF standards. Although it still meets international competition standards, the change has the potential to influence the gameplay during the tournament.

What this means for Australian athletes

For Australian winter athletes, changes to the Olympic program bring both opportunity and challenge. New sports and events create additional qualification pathways, but the financial demands of winter sport remain significant.

Travel, equipment, coaching and international competition costs are largely athlete-funded across many disciplines. With the help of the Australian Sports Foundation, many athletes are raising tax-deductible donations to help cover these costs, allowing them to focus on training and competition as they work towards Olympic qualification.

If you would like to support an Australian athlete on their journey to the Games, you can explore all Olympic hopefuls that are currently fundraising here.