The Olympic Winter Games, better known as the Winter Olympics, are the premier sporting event that brings together all winter sports disciplines, held every four years.
Organized by the IOC, the first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France. Currently, fifteen sports are represented, including the most popular skiing and skating, but also emerging disciplines such as snowboarding and freestyle.
Italy has hosted these Winter Games twice. The first was in 1956 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, and the second was in 2006 in Turin. These two cities, along with Milan, had applied to host the 2026 edition.
In the end, the decision was made to combine these bids, with Turin withdrawing, leaving the Milan-Cortina duo to compete with Stockholm for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
