With 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, the countdown is on for the Olympic Winter Games’ return to Europe at Milano Cortina 2026.
The return of the Games to European soil for the first time in 12 years marks a special period for the Olympic Movement on the continent. This follows the success of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and looks ahead of the Winter edition heading to the French Alps in 2030.
European nations have consistently dominated the Olympic Winter Games, including at Beijing 2022, where European NOCs won 227 medals – 70% of the overall total – with 22 of the 29 NOCs on the medal table coming from Europe.
Milano Cortina 2026 will provide the stage for a new generation of European winter sport stars, many of whom have progressed through the continent’s talent development pathways. The EOC expects numerous finalists from the Piotr Nurowski Prize, which recognises Europe’s most promising young athletes, to compete in Italy.
Among them will be Italy’s Flora Tabanelli in freestyle skiing, who will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of previous Piotr Nurowski Prize finalists who have gone on to claim Olympic medals.
The Winter European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) has also proved an important stepping stone to Olympic success, with many athletes competing in Milano Cortina 2026 having previously excelled in the EYOF during their early careers.
With qualification processes now concluded and teams finalising their preparations, the excitement is building for what promises to be a memorable celebration of winter sport on home snow.
