Olympic curling champion Eve Muirhead believes Milan-Cortina 2026 will be a mix of the Winter Games’ past and future as it combines alpine resort settings with a wide geographic spread of existing venues to keep costs down.

Next year’s Olympics might be called the Milan Cortina Games but it will actually be staged across a large swath of northern Italy spread over five different venue clusters.

All you need to know about the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, including where exactly it is taking place, when it starts, the new events, and the stars taking part.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Thursday officiated the one-year countdown to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, saying “Italy is ready.”

Is it? Italy has ski resorts in abundance and spectacular mountains but one pressing concern remains rebuilding the century-old sliding center in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The International Olympic Committee has set a deadline for the end of next month for pre-certification of the Cortina track.

Milan Cortina Winter Games, which open one year from today, feature the Olympic debuts of one sport and five new events within existing sports. The Opening Ceremony is next Feb. 6 at the San Siro Stadium in Milan.

With a year to go to the Winter Olympics, why could sliding events move to the United States, what is skimo and what are Team GB's medal chances in Milan 2026?