The German team finished sixth in the medal table at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, missing the top-three goal. With eight golds and 26 medals total, the performance fell short of expectations, though ice channel sports excelled. Experts call for analyses and view bidding for home Olympics as a solution to the downward trend.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina ended with Team Germany in sixth place in the medal table. DOSB Chef de Mission Olaf Tabor had set a goal of at least third place on February 4, missed due to too few gold medals. Instead of 12 golds like in Peking 2022, Germany won only eight, with 26 medals total – close to the 27 from Peking, but fewer than the 14 golds from Pyeongchang 2018.
Tabor stated: "We unfortunately did not win enough gold medals." Nonetheless, he was "not at all dissatisfied with our performance," especially since the ice channel disciplines (bob, luge, skeleton) performed excellently. The Bob and Skeleton Association (BSD) contributed six of the eight golds and 19 medals total – a record.
Weaknesses appeared in biathlon and Nordic combined. The biathletes secured only one bronze in the mixed with Philipp Nawrath and Franziska Preuß, the worst tally since 1992. Sports Director Felix Bitterling said: "One medal is not our claim. This team can do more." The Nordic combiners won no medals for the first time since 1998. Overall, there were 14 fourth places, including for ski jumpers Philipp Raimund and Andreas Wellinger due to snow interruption.
Tabor spoke of "disappointment" and small errors preventing potentials. Other nations like Norway, USA, and the Netherlands (third place) handled chances more carefully. Topics like mental strength and equipment will be analyzed. Close misses included Emma Aicher's 0.04-second deficit in downhill and Laura Nolte's four hundredths in monobob.
A commentary calls for a German Olympics bid (2036, 2040, or 2044) among candidates like Munich or Rhein-Ruhr to reverse the slide. Reforms like the sports funding law are stalled, and infrastructure needs total 42 billion euros.