SportsTravel at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games
Ongoing coverage of the Games from Milan and beyond
Posted On: February 25, 2026 By :SportsTravel will be on site at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, with additional coverage from our bases in the United States and the UK. Follow along for coverage you won’t find anywhere else.
Grading the 2026 Olympic Winter Games
SportsTravel Publisher Jason Gewirtz was on the ground in Milan and Cortina, Italy. Here are his scores from the Games based on his experience at the event. Read more.
Podcast — Grading the 2026 Olympic Winter Games: Lisa Delpy Neirotti and Jason Gewirtz Reflect on Milan and Cortina
SportsTravel Publisher Jason Gewirtz and George Washington University Professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti were on site in Milan and Cortina and discuss their observations of the Games. Hear their grades on everything from the Opening Ceremony to transportation to security to concessions at the venues. Listen here.
U.S. Medalist Tracker: Men’s Hockey Brings Home Gold
The United States entered the 2026 Olympic Winter Games favored to reach the gold medal game against Canada — and that’s exactly how the tournament played out. On Sunday morning — 46 years to the day after the Miracle On Ice team of 1980 won gold — Team USA won gold for the first time since that unforgettable run in Lake Placid. Read More.
Oddities and Observations at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games
After about 10 days on the ground in Milan and Cortina for the Olympic Winter Games, SportsTravel Publisher Jason Gewirtz saw a number of interesting things around both locations and experienced some odd moments as well. Here are some of the most notable behind-the-scenes sights and experiences that filled his notebook — and camera lens — in Italy. Read more.
ISU Builds ‘Home of Skating’ to Grow Sports
At its base hotel near the figure skating arena, the International Skating Union launched a new concept: the ISU Home of Skating. The venue, open to athletes, sponsors, families and other invited guests, served both as a place to watch events, socialize, take meetings and network. But it also may be the hospitality concept the federation tries to replicate at future events. Read more.
Luge Parent Reflects on a Different Kind of Olympic Legacy
Olympic legacy can take many forms. In a traditional sense for host cities, that might be the venues left behind. It might be community initiatives meant to get youth and members of the community inspired to move or be healthy. And in at least one case, there was a direct path from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City to the podium in Cortina, Italy — and a legacy of how an entire community’s support can lead to great individual accomplishments. Read more.
U.S. Olympic Medalist Tracker: Their Road to Glory
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games are taking place in Italy, thousands of miles away from the hometowns of the Team USA athletes who have journeyed there in search of fulfilling a dream. Of course, some members of the United States’ contingent have had a longer road than others to get to the pinnacle of their sport. For the duration of the Games, SportsTravel will keep tabs on the U.S. medal winners in our own, travel-friendly way by focusing on the medal winners in the non-hockey events. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt
Skiing and snowboard are, of course, embedded into the Olympic Winter Games. But disciplines have grown over the years, adding new complexities. At the Games in Milan Cortina, that includes some new disciplines, including a women’s combined downhill and slalom that made its debut. Hear from the president and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard is navigating the far distances of Northern Italy. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With US Speedskating Executive Director Ted Morris
Speedskating in the United States may very well be having a moment. Jordan Stolz has already won two golds in one event (the 500 meters and 1,000 meters), joining legend Eric Heiden in 1980 as the only men to win both events at the same Winter Olympics. At the helm of the national governing body is Ted Morris. SportsTravel caught up with him on his way into the Milan convention center that is staging the long track discipline of the sport. Read more.
The Drive From Milan to Cortina: A Journey of Tolls, Ink and Ice
There has been a lot said about the distance between Milan and Cortina. But SportsTravel Publisher Jason Gewirtz found out the hard way when he rented a car to see if he could cover events in both locations. Learn what went wrong and what went right in this travelogue. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell
Every four years, curling becomes the darling of the Olympics. Ratings go up, interest goes up and, according to USA Curling, participation goes up as well. The U.S. team is off to a particularly good start at these Winter Games with the mixed doubles team of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin scoring a silver medal — the first time the country has medaled since the discipline joined the Olympic program in 2018. We caught up with USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell to discuss the future of the sport. Read more.
Three U.S. NGBs Build Hospitality Experience in Milan
Spread out. That’s been a key term at the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games, where events are being held in four regions of Northern Italy, each hours apart from each other. While there are plenty of sports on the overall program, the city of Milan is only hosting three of them: figure skating, hockey and speedskating. That’s why three NGBs went their own way on hospitality. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With USA Hockey Executive Director Pat Kelleher
USA Hockey is one of the stories of the Games as the NHL returns to the ice for the first time since 2014. But the growth of the women’s game is just as important, sparked by the success of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. We caught up with Executive Director Pat Kelleher to discuss the action in Milan. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With U.S. Center for SafeSport CEO Benita Fitzgerald Mosley
Olympian Benita Fitzgerald Mosley has just begun her tenure as the new CEO at the U.S. Center for SafeSport. But she’s already on the ground in Milan to network and lead a symposium of like-minded organization. We caught up with her on site to learn about her goals and how she plans to work with NGBs in the future. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With Utah 2034 Chairman Fraser Bullock
When Utah hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2034, it will be a triumphant return from the 2002 Games that are widely seen as one the most successful in recent history. We caught up with the leader of both efforts, Fraser Bullock, to hear what’s coming next. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell
Matt Farrell is no stranger to Olympic sports. But this time around, he’s CEO of U.S. Figure Skating with a team that is poised to do well on the ice. His attention, however, is mostly off the ice for now. Read more.
What It’s Like to Be at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
SportsTravel was on site and at the Opening Ceremony. Here’s a perspective from SportsTravel Publisher Jason Gewirtz on what the experience is like in the stadium. Read more.
SportsTravel Catches Up With Utah Governor Spencer Cox
SportsTravel caught up with Utah Governor Spencer Cox in Milan to discuss the return of the Games in eight years’ time, the potential long-term hosting opportunities for the region and what he is hoping to see while he leads a delegation to the Games in Italy. Read more.
Future Olympic Winter Games Hosts Agree to Share
At a time of political tension around the world, the Olympic Games serves as an opportunity to unite. At least that’s the grand vision of the largest and perhaps most significant sporting event in the world when it comes to sports diplomacy. But in a board room 13 floors above Milan with views of the mountains in the distance — and just hours before the Opening Ceremony — political and civic leaders from Milan, the French Côte d’Azur hosts in 2030 and the state of Utah hosts in 2034 gathered to put those lofty aspirations to work. Read more here.
Previewing the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony for the 25th Olympic Winter Games is set to be an unmissable occasion. In the year that it celebrates its 100th anniversary, Milan’s legendary 77,000-capacity San Siro Olympic Stadium will be illuminated from 8 p.m. local time (11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. GMT) on February 6 for a celebration of winter sports and the three core Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. Read more here.
Inside the 2026 Olympic Winter Games: The Final Torch Relay
The Olympic flame is one of those iconic symbols that has endured generations. And on the eve of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, thousands packed Milan’s historic Piazza del Duomo to get just a glimpse of the magic as the torch relay nears its end. Read more.
The Road to Glory: Athletes to Watch at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games
Every four years, the public becomes enthralled by the Olympic Winter Games, turning into armchair experts who learn all of the rules of curling and become diehard fans of alpine skiing. Here are eight athletes to watch. Read more.
Turning Back the Clock to Turin
Two decades ago, Andrea Bocelli stepped onto the stage at the Stadio Olimpico into what the beloved Italian tenor would later call “an atmosphere that only the Olympic Games can create.” That was at the 2006 Games in Turin. The Games are back in Italy this year, and while Bocelli will return, much else has changed. Read more here.
2026 Olympic Winter Games Preview: Venue Guide
The 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina are fast approaching (February 6–22 and March 6–15) and final preparations for the events are well underway. Here is our look at the venues that will be used at the Olympic Games across Milan, the Northern Italian mountains and Verona. Read more here.
What to Expect at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games
Every Olympic Games comes with its own set of challenges. And as the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games begin February 6, organizers are dealing with their share of last-minute preparations. But despite those logistical hurdles for what will be the largest geographic footprint for any Winter Games held, the event will turn quickly to the stars of the show — the 2,800 athletes from 90 nations that will travel to four different areas of Northern Italy for the chance to achieve the highest pinnacle of their sports. Read more here.
Brady Tkachuk Not Worried About Olympic Venue
Despite concerns about the readiness and quality of the main Olympic ice hockey venue, especially the quality of the ice, U.S. star Brady Tkachuk said he isn’t worried. Speaking on a conference call during the USOPC’s announcement of the 232-member Team USA Olympic contingent, Tkachuck said, “That’s stuff none of us can control. I’m not worried about it. All that stuff works itself out. Whether the ice is good or not doesn’t really matter.” Read more here.
IOC: ‘Still a Lot of Work to Do’ Before 2026 Olympic Winter Games
The Olympic Games executive director has admitted that there is “still a lot of work to be done” ahead of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina next month, but expressed his confidence that everything would be ready on time. Read more here.
2026 Olympic Winter Games Reveals Plans for Double Cauldron
Organizers of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina have unveiled ambitious plans for an Opening Ceremony that will be held in four locations across Northern Italy and will include two cauldrons, underscoring the widespread nature of the upcoming Games. Read more here.
USOPC Feels Prepared with 100 Days Until 2026 Olympic Winter Games
With 100 days to go until the Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, leadership at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee are expressing confidence in a complex plan to keep athletes at ease and healthy during a Games that will feature six event clusters over a wide geographic range. Read more here.
Posted in: 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Main Feature, Olympic Sports