Guide to the Winter Olympics 2026

The Winter Olympics are here! They’re taking place across two venues in Italy, Milan and Cortina and the athletes are excited and raring to go.

If you don’t know a ski from a snowboard, a puck from a (half) pipe or a mogul from Mia Brookes then this guide will help you.

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing includes downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and combined events. Athletes race down steep, icy slopes at high speeds, navigating gates with precision. Downhill is the fastest; slalom is the most technical.

Team GB women to watch

While Team GB’s alpine squad is male-heavy in 2026, the women’s field globally remains fiercely competitive. Look out for 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn who is returning to the Winter Olympics. It was announced on Monday that she tore her ACL a week before the Games begin but is still going to compete! Look out for her in the downhill, super G and team combined events.

Vonn at the press conference where she announced she will be competing with a torn ACL.

Biathlon

Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. Athletes ski long distances, stopping at shooting ranges to hit five targets. Missed shots mean penalty loops or added time.

Team GB women to watch

Shawna Pendry represents Britain in the women’s biathlon.

Medal prospects: Biathlon is traditionally dominated by Scandinavian and central European nations. Team GB’s chances are slim, but Pendry’s appearance is a milestone for British representation.

Bobsleigh

Teams push a sled at the start, then jump in and hurtle down an ice track at speeds over 120 km/h. Women compete in two-woman bobsleigh and monobob (solo).

Team GB women to watch

Adele Nicoll is one to watch as she is the first British female to compete in the monobob.

Medal prospects: Team GB has a strong sliding tradition, but the women’s bobsleigh field is extremely competitive. Medal chances are moderate but not impossible.

Read more about bobsleigh in our interview with summer and winter Olympian Montell Douglas.

Cross-Country Skiing

Athletes race across long-distance snow tracks using either classic or freestyle technique. Events range from sprints to gruelling 30 km races.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB is not competing.

Curling

Teams slide granite stones across ice toward a target known as the house, sweeping the ice to control speed and direction. Strategy is everything—think chess on ice.

Team GB women to watch

Jennifer Dodds leads the women’s team, aiming to defend their Olympic title from Beijing 2022.

Medal prospects: Very strong. Curling is one of Team GB’s most successful winter sports, and Dodds’ team is a genuine medal favourite.

Figure Skating

Skaters perform choreographed routines involving jumps, spins, and footwork. Women compete in singles and pairs events.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB is sending a full squad to the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson have achieved recent success in pairs and are ones to watch for sure. Even if they don’t medal, their routines are fun.

Freestyle Skiing

Freestyle skiing includes moguls, aerials, halfpipe, slopestyle, and ski cross. Athletes perform tricks, jumps, and high-speed manoeuvres.

Team GB women to watch

Kirsty Muir winning earlier in the season.

Zoe Atkin – A major medal contender in the halfpipe.

Kirsty Muir – A rising star in slopestyle and big air.

Medal prospects

Very strong. Atkin and Muir are among Britain’s best hopes for podium finishes.

Ice Hockey

Two teams compete on ice, aiming to score goals by hitting a puck into the opponent’s net. Ice hockey is fast, physical, and highly tactical.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB did not qualify for women’s ice hockey in 2026.

Luge

Athletes lie on their backs on a small sled, racing feet-first down an icy track at speeds up to 140 km/h.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB is not competing.

Nordic Combined

Extremely controversial as this remains a male only event!

Short Track Speed Skating

Skaters race around a tight oval track, often in packs, making strategy and positioning crucial.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB not competing.

Skeleton

Athletes sprint before diving head-first onto a sled, racing down an ice track at terrifying speeds.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB has a strong tradition in skeleton. The one to watch this year is Tabby Stoecker but who remembers Lizzy Yarnold’s dazzling run in Pyeongchang? Hear about it here.

Medal prospects: Moderate for women—Britain often performs well in this sport.

Ski Jumping

Athletes launch off a steep ramp, aiming for maximum distance and style points.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB does not have any contenders in women’s ski jumping.

Ski Mountaineering

Athletes climb uphill on skis using skins, then descend at speed. It’s a test of endurance, technique, and mountain skill.

Team GB women to watch

There are no Team GB athletes in ski mountaineering.

Snowboarding

Snowboarding includes halfpipe, slopestyle, big air, snowboard cross, and parallel giant slalom. Athletes perform tricks, race head-to-head, or carve through gates.

Mia Brookes earlier in the season.

Team GB women to watch

Mia Brookes – A world champion and one of the brightest young stars in slopestyle and big air.

Medal prospects: Extremely strong. Brookes is one of Team GB’s top medal hopes across all sports.

Speed Skating

Athletes race in pairs on a long oval track, aiming for the fastest time.

Team GB women to watch

Team GB has representation in Ellia Smeding but it’s unlikely we’ll medal.

Good luck to all athletes at the Winter Olympics 2026!

Copyright We are Girls in Sport 2026

Please contact hello@Wearegirlsinsport.com for usage and replication

Images all Alamy except for Montell Douglas.