The Winter Olympics 2026, officially called the XXV Winter Olympic Games, will be held from 6 to 22 February 2026. The event will take place across Lombardy and Northeast Italy.
It will be the first Olympic Games officially co-hosted by two cities. Milan will mainly host ice sports, while other events will be held around Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Valtellina and Fiemme valleys.
These Games will be Italy’s third Winter Olympics and fourth Olympics overall. Cortina d’Ampezzo previously hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956.
Milano Cortina 2026 will introduce ski mountaineering as an Olympic sport. It will also be the first Olympic Games held under the presidency of the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry.
What sports will India be participating in at the Winter Olympics 2026
India will take part in the Winter Olympics 2026, which will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, from 6 to 22 February 2026. India is sending a total of two athletes, both competing in men’s events across two different sports.
India’s competitors are spread across alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. In alpine skiing, India has qualified one male athlete, while in cross-country skiing, India has also qualified one male athlete. There are no women competitors from India at these Games, making the total Indian contingent two athletes.
In alpine skiing, India qualified one male skier through the basic quota system. The athlete representing India is Arif Mohd Khan, who is entered in the men’s slalom event. The alpine skiing events at the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place at two venues: the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio for men’s events and the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo for women’s events.
In cross-country skiing, India qualified one male athlete through the basic quota as well. The athlete representing India is Stanzin Lundup, who is entered in the men’s 10 km freestyle event. Cross-country skiing events at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held at the Cross-Country and Biathlon Center Fabio Canal in Tesero, Italy.
Who is Arif Mohd Khan?
Arif Mohd Khan is an Indian alpine skier from a small village called Goiwara near Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. He grew up in an area affected by violence, where daily life included gunfights and bomb blasts. Because of this environment, he says he never planned for the future and kept his dreams limited while growing up.
Khan was introduced to skiing by his father, Yaseen, who worked as a porter, trekking guide, and ran a ski shop in Gulmarg. Gulmarg has long been a winter sports destination, and skiing became the most natural sport for him since there were no other sporting options nearby. He started skiing at the age of five and became a junior national champion in the slalom event before reaching his teenage years.
Arif Khan represented India at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and has now qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. With this, he became only the third Indian athlete to compete at two Winter Olympics, after Jeremy Bujakowski and Shiva Keshavan. He sealed his 2026 qualification after meeting the required results at races held in Arieseni, Romania.
Who is Stanzin Lundup?
Stanzin Lundup is an Indian cross-country skier from Ladakh. He is 29 years old and serves in the Indian Army. He has been competing in cross-country skiing since 2017.
Lundup qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina based on his performance at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Norway, where he was the best Indian performer in cross-country skiing. His result at the World Championships met the FIS qualification system used for Olympic selection. He logged 269.58 FIS points, which helped secure his Olympic berth.
His participation at the 2026 Games became uncertain due to a legal challenge filed by another skier, Manjeet, in the Delhi High Court. While the court directed authorities to include Manjeet, the International Olympic Committee later rejected the request to add him. The IOC confirmed that India’s participation was not at risk, meaning Lundup could still compete.
FAQs
Q. When will the Winter Olympics 2026 be held?
A. The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held from 6 to 22 February 2026.
Q. How many athletes did India send to the Winter Olympics 2026?
A. India has sent two athletes to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Q. Which sports will India compete in at the Winter Olympics 2026?
A. India competed in alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.
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