Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan and Cortina

The 25th Winter Olympic Games will be held in 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. On June 24, 2019, the IOC selected the host city in Lausanne. The Games are scheduled for the period from February 6 to February 22, 2026. The Winter Olympic Games have been held in Italy twice before: in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo and in 2006 in Turin. The Italian capital, Rome, previously hosted the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. Will you be watching TeamNL on TV or are you going to Milan and Cortina?

1956 Winter Olympics

The VII Winter Olympic Games were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo from January 26 to February 5, 1956. Lake Placid (United States) and Montreal (Canada) also submitted bids. The Soviet Union sent a delegation to the Winter Games for the first time; they were very successful and won the medal standings.

  Dutch performances

• During the opening ceremony, the Dutch team (six men and two women) was led by Kees Broekman (speed skating), who carried the flag.
• A very young Sjoukje Dijkstra (14) was accompanied in figure skating by the equally young Joan Haanappel (15). They were unable to make much of an impact and finished 12th and 13th respectively.
• The Netherlands does not win a single medal.

 

2006 Winter Olympics

The XX Winter Olympic Games were held in Turin from 10 to 26 February 2006. They were the second Winter Games in Italy, after those of Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956.

The Games were awarded to Turin in 1999 following a renewed selection procedure. This was in response to alleged fraud during the awarding of the previous Winter Games to Salt Lake City. IOC members were no longer allowed to visit the candidate cities; instead, a special committee conducted a pre-selection and issued a report on the cities. The candidates eliminated during that pre-selection were Helsinki, Poprad, Zakopane, and Klagenfurt. In the final vote, Turin defeated the only remaining candidate, Sion in Switzerland.

Dutch performances The Netherlands participated for the eighteenth time. A record number of 33 athletes competed in four sports: bobsleigh, speed skating, short track, and snowboarding. Rintje Ritsma became the first Dutchman to participate in the Winter Games for the fifth time. Jan Bos participated in the Winter Games for the third time; he was also a participant in the Summer Games in 2004. For Bob de Jong, Marianne Timmer, and Erben Wennemars, it was their third participation. Nine medals were earned: three gold, two silver, and four bronze.

The Chef de mission for these Games was Eddy Verheijen. During the opening ceremony, the Dutch flag was carried by speed skater Jan Bos. At the closing ceremony, this honor was reserved for Rintje Ritsma.

 

2026 Winter Olympics

The XXV Winter Olympic Games will be held in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from 6 to 22 February 2026. Better known as Milano Cortina 2026, at locations in Lombardy and Northeast Italy. (Each stamp features a Vibe, the key element of the visual identity of Milano-Cortina 2026 and the official “Look of the Games”. Each Vibe is composed of alternating colors in gradients, from blue to magenta and azure, and from green to turquoise and yellow. Clear graphic symbols emerge, outlined by flowing, dynamic white lines that move continuously across the image. These symbols are not merely decorative elements, but the visual representation of the human gesture expressing talent, creativity, and energy, components of the Italian spirit of Milano-Cortina 2026. On the left, the emblems of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are visible.)   On June 24, 2019, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo were awarded the 2026 Winter Games during the 134th session of the IOC, beating another joint bid from Stockholm and Åre (Sweden). These will be the first Olympic Games officially organized jointly by two cities. Milan will primarily host the ice sports events, while the remaining events will take place in clusters around Cortina and the valleys of Valtellina and Fiemme.

The Games will be the debut of ski mountaineering mark as part of the Winter Olympic Games, and will be the first Olympic Games under the presidency of Kirsty Coventry of the IOC. Ski touring, also known as ski mountaineering, is a form of skiing that does not use ski lifts. Because ski tourers hike up the mountain themselves, they must have very good stamina. When ascending, skiers attach climbing skins to their skis, allowing them to walk up the mountain. For this, a touring ski binding is also necessary that allows for walking with a free heel. Skiing down is done just like normal skiing. The climbing skins must then be removed. Due to the way the sport is performed, ski touring and cross-country skiing are similar.

 

Opening ceremony February 6, 2026

The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games will take place on February 6, 2026, in the San Siro stadium. in Milan. The official name of the stadium is Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, named after a player who played for both clubs. The stadium is also called, or better known, as the San Siro Stadium, after the district in which the stadium is located. The stadium, with room for no less than 80.000 spectators, which is normally the home of football clubs AC Milan and Inter, will be the scene of the opening spectacle. Artists such as Laura Pausini, tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Mariah Carey (All I Want for Christmas Is You). The opening ceremony of the Winter Games is being held simultaneously at different locations. On Friday, February 6, 2026, 24-year-old short track speed skater Van 't Wout will wear the red, white, and blue in the San Siro football stadium in Milan, while 32-year-old skeleton racer Bos will carry the same flag in the mountain town of Cortina d'Ampezzo. More than 3500 athletes from 93 countries are participating in the Winter Olympic Games. The Netherlands is represented by a delegation of 38 athletes, competing in speed skating, short track, figure skating, skeleton, snowboarding, and bobsleigh, among others.  

Closing ceremony February 22, 2026

The closing ceremony will take place in the Arena of VeronaThe Arena of Verona is an ancient Roman amphitheater in Verona, Italy. The arena is located on Piazza Bra. The arena is one of the best-preserved amphitheaters and is still in use today. It is known for the opera performances held there. The arena was completed in 30 AD, on a site that was then located outside the city walls. It was not until the Middle Ages that the arena was brought inside the city walls. Measuring 138 meters long and 110 meters wide, it is one of the largest amphitheaters in the Roman Empire. Four ring walls supported the stands. Spectators reached their seats via 72 entrances and 64 staircases. The outer wall was constructed of white and pink limestone from Valpolicella and had three levels consisting of arcades. An earthquake in 1117 destroyed almost the entire upper level and the original outer wall; only a small part of it remains. After the earthquake, the Arena turned into a quarry where simple building materials for new buildings could be found. It was not until the Renaissance that it came back into use as a theater. Thanks to the excellent acoustics, the building is well suited for opera performances, which have been held there since 1913. Nowadays, opera performances take place every year from June through August, accommodating around 22.000 spectators.   Have fun at the races in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo!    

<strong> More info: </strong>

NOS Sport is broadcasting 230 hours of television (of which 150 hours are live), and the NOS is dedicating approximately the same number of radio hours to the Winter Olympics, so you won't miss a thing. You can also tune in to Eurosport and HBO Max. Furthermore, the athletes are being honored at the Holland House in Milan. https://nos.nl/sport https://www.teamnl.org/huis TeamNL info: https://www.teamnl.org/milaan2026 Olympics site: https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026 MilanoCortina2026: https://hospitality.milanocortina2026.org/en Previous Winter Games blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/olympic-winter-games/