Milano Cortina’s Winter Olympics 2026 are just around the corner, and we can’t wait to see which of the toughest athletes in the world can achieve their lifelong dream: An Olympic medal.

by Sami

Milano Cortina’s cross country skiing races will start the following weekend and will be held in Val di Fiemme’s Lago di Tesero, the same venue that hosted the World Cup earlier this season. First events will be the skiathlon races held on 7 and 8 February. 

The Cross Country skiing events at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will be held on 7–22 February. That’s a little over two weeks of action and fans of cross-country skiers will have plenty of exciting races to follow.

Are you a fan of short, fast-paced action? Sprints. Do you want to be glued to your television or computer for over two hours? Classic style 50km. 

Something in between? The 20km Skiathlon, 10km Free, team sprints – the list goes on, there is something for everyone! Milano Cortina’s Olympic games will be historic – it will be the first time in Olympic history that the same race distances are used for both women’s and men’s events.

Race schedule

Date	Time (Local/CET)	Event
Sat Feb 7, 2026	13:00	Women’s Skiathlon 20 km (10+10)
Sun Feb 8, 2026	12:30	Men’s Skiathlon 20 km (10+10)
Tue Feb 10,2026	09:15	Sprint C Qualifications
Tue Feb 10,2026	11:45	Sprint C Finals
Thu Feb 12, 2026	13:00	Women’s 10km F Individual Start
Fri Feb 13, 2026	11:45	Men’s 10km F Individual Start
Sat Feb 14, 2026	12:00	Women’s Relay 4 x 7,5km
Sun Feb 15, 2026	12:00	Men’s Relay 4 x 7.5 km
Wed Feb 18,2026	09:45	Team Sprint F Qualifications
Wed Feb 18,2026	11:45	Team Sprint F Finals
Sat Feb 21, 2026	11:00	Men’s 50km C Mass Start
Sun Feb 22, 2026	10:00	Women’s 50km C Mass Start

Writer’s picks: Who to follow?

As we head into the Val di Fiemme’s arena in Lago di Tesero, there’s lot of strong skiers that are currently performing at a high level. I want to highlight some of them – these are just my own predictions and athletes to keep an eye on. Of course, by no means this does not rule out other athletes but these are just my observations and might be ones to follow during the Olympics. 

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo – If we look at how this season has been going so far for Johannes, it’s a real possibility that he will grab multiple gold medals again, like he did in Trondheim. From Sprint to 50km, there is not a single race in these Olympics, where Klæbo is not a medal candidate. 

Einar Hedegart is having a wild season. Transitioning from Biathlon during the 2023–24 season and already competing in the Olympics. His first full season of the World Cup is quite a remarkable one. Already three victories under his belt; I’m calling it now: in the 10km freestyle Einar will grab the first Olympic medal of his career.

Jessie Diggins is retiring after this season, which means that it’s the final Olympic Games of her career. It would wrap her career nicely, if she would score a medal or two here. Looking back to this season, during the Tour de Ski, she was really versatile and was able to perform in many different races. She’s a real fighter and is probably one of, if not the best, when talking about who can get the most out of their form.

Teresa Stadlober’s season so far has been one of the best of her career, and it has convinced me to believe that she could be a real medal candidate at these Olympics. At the last Olympic Games in Beijing, she finished third in the skiathlon race, so the first race should suit her. 

Frida Karlsson – This season has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Frida. Season opener in Ruka, she won the race with a clear margin, but later in the Tour de Ski, she was struggling a bit. Last time she raced in the World Cup was in the Tour de Ski, so it will be interesting to see where she is currently at. Will she be able to destroy the competition during the 50km? We will see.

Ebba Andersson took three gold medals during last year’s World Championship races, including the skiathlon race, the same format that will kick off the Olympics. Not a lot is known of the current form of Ebba, as she participated in a World Cup for the last time during the Tour de Ski, much like other Swedish skiers.

Both of the Niskanen siblings have been a bit lost compared to previous seasons. Iivo took his first podium of the season during Oberhof’s 10km Classic and Kerttu has scored multiple fourth positions this season. Both of them are solid candidates for the 50km classic race, but let’s see.

Kristine Stavås Skistad has picked a few victories this season, but like many more she has been absent from racing in the World Cup lately. The last time she was going to race was in Val di Fiemme, but she had to withdraw from the race due to illness. There is plenty of time to recover between the Tour and the Olympics, but it will be interesting to see in what form she currently is.

For the team total medals, I think everyone who follows the sport knows that Norway is the clear candidate and it won’t even be close. That said, I’ll gladly be wrong about it and kudos to Norway for being the best. Behind Norway, I feel like Sweden will be second. The third one is a bit tougher, but it will go to Italy, France, Germany or Finland. 

I hope you have an exciting time watching the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026 unfold. Let’s hope we get some all-time great performances and races to remember for years to come!