The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, begin on February 6, promising record gender balance with women comprising 47% of participants. Team USA boasts athletes from states like Colorado, Washington, and Michigan across disciplines including alpine skiing, snowboarding, and hockey. Norway leads predictions for most gold medals at 63%, followed by the U.S. at 18%.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, running from February 6 to 22, mark a historic milestone in gender equality, with women making up 47% of the total competitors—up from 45.4% in Beijing 2022. Full gender parity exists in 12 of the 16 sports, including new events like two-woman bobsleigh and equal distances in cross-country skiing. Nordic combined remains the only discipline without women's events.
Team USA's roster includes 232 athletes, with strong representation from various states. Colorado sends 25 competitors, highlighted by alpine skiers Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, and River Radamus. Shiffrin, seeking redemption after Beijing, has won six of seven World Cup slaloms this season and plans to compete in slalom, giant slalom, and the team combined event. Vonn, returning from retirement, targets downhill and super-G on the familiar Cortina course but faces uncertainty due to a recent knee injury. Radamus, a 2022 Olympian, emphasizes process over pressure, running his ARCO Foundation to support young skiers.
Washington contributes seven former high school athletes: alpine skier Katherine Hensien, speed skaters Eunice Lee, Corinne Stoddard, and Cooper McLeod, cross-country skier Novie McCabe, and curlers Benjamin Richardson and Luc Violette. Michigan's 28 connected athletes feature hockey stars like Dylan Larkin, Connor Hellebuyck, and Megan Keller, alongside snowboarder Nick Baumgartner and freestyle skier Kaila Kuhn. Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa natives bolster teams in curling, hockey, speedskating, and biathlon, including Jessie Diggins in cross-country skiing.
In cross-country skiing, U.S. technician Paul Choudoir leads grinding efforts, drawing on his advertising background and mentorship to optimize ski bases for variable conditions. Ukraine fields 46 athletes in 11 sports, nearly matching global gender ratios.
Betting markets favor Norway for the most golds, thanks to stars like Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, with Germany strong in bobsled. The Games emphasize unity, with calls for a global ceasefire.
