2026 Winter Olympics Add 8 New Events Including Ski Mountaineering Debut

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, will introduce eight new medal events. These changes mark the first new winter sport since 2002 and push the Games toward the most even split between male and female athletes in history. Organizers expect about 2,900 competitors, with women making up 47 percent.

Background

The Winter Olympics have grown over the years by adding events that reflect changes in sports and calls for more fairness. The last new sport came in 2002 with snowboarding's full entry. Since then, the focus has been on expanding existing disciplines to include more women and team formats.

Ski mountaineering stands out as the big addition. This sport mixes climbing up steep slopes with skiing back down. Athletes switch between skis and boots, using special skins on their skis to grip ice during climbs. It appeared at the 2020 Youth Olympics and got the green light for the senior Games in 2021.

Other updates build on sports already in the program. Luge, skeleton, ski jumping, freestyle skiing, and alpine skiing get fresh events. These moves come after years of talks between Olympic leaders and sport federations. The goal is to match how athletes train and compete today while opening doors for more nations.

The Games run across sites in northern Italy. Milan hosts some indoor events, while mountain venues in Cortina d'Ampezzo handle alpine and sliding sports. A new sliding track in Cortina opened for tests in 2025, with international training set for late that year. Expect around 116 medal events total, up from Beijing 2022.

Key Details

Here are the eight new events, broken down by sport.

Ski Mountaineering

Three medals go up for grabs: men's sprint, women's sprint, and a mixed relay. Races cover short, intense courses where speed uphill and down counts most. Athletes carry gear, transition quickly, and push limits on technical terrain. This debut fills a gap for mountain sports in the Olympics.

Luge

Women's doubles joins the lineup. Pairs of women will race side-by-side sleds down the icy track. Luge has long had men's doubles since 1964, plus a mixed team relay since 2014. Speeds hit 90 miles per hour, with athletes steering by shifting weight and using calf blades.

Ski Jumping

Women's large hill individual makes its start. Jumpers launch from a bigger ramp than the normal hill already in place for women. Judges score distance and form, like flicking knees at takeoff and smooth landings. Men have competed on large hills for years; this evens the field.

Skeleton

A mixed team relay debuts. One woman runs first, hands off to a man, and they combine times from back-to-back slides. Riders go head-first down the track, braking with spiked shoes at the end. It's the sport's first team event at the Olympics.

Freestyle Skiing

Men's and women's dual moguls pit two athletes against each other on bumpy courses. They ski side-by-side, hit jumps, and land tricks. Judges pick winners per round based on speed, turns, and air. Regular moguls are solo; this head-to-head format adds thrill.

Alpine Skiing

Team combined sends pairs down a downhill then a slalom. One skier per leg, fastest total time wins. It replaces the old super combined where one person did both. Training demands led to this team shift, dropped from world cups in 2020 due to low turnout.

"These additions make the program more inclusive and exciting for fans around the world." – Kirsty Coventry, IOC President

Nordic combined stays men-only, but women now race equal distances in cross-country skiing for the first time.

What This Means

More events mean more medals and chances for athletes from smaller nations. Ski mountaineering could draw teams from Europe and Asia where it's popular. Women's doubles in luge and large hill ski jumping give female sliders and jumpers parity with men in top formats.

Gender balance hits a record 47 percent women. That's up from past Games and shows progress in winter sports, long male-heavy. Total events rise to 116 across 16 disciplines, spreading action over two weeks from February 6 to 22, 2026.

Team events like skeleton relay and alpine combined foster national pride and mixed-gender teamwork. Dual moguls brings direct rivalries, boosting TV appeal. New track in Cortina tests readiness; backup in Lake Placid, USA, stands ready if needed.

NHL players return after a break since 2014, thanks to a 2024 deal. This pulls top hockey talent, lifting that sport's profile. Overall, the changes modernize the Olympics, aligning with global trends in participation and viewing habits.

Venues mix old and new. Cortina hosted in 1956; its sliding center is fresh-built. Predazzo handles ski jumping, Anterselva biathlon. Spread-out clusters cut overlap and use existing sites where possible.

Athletes train now for these formats. Federations run camps on the new track starting October 2025. Expect records in speed and style as competitors adapt to equalized rules and distances.