Winter Olympics

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Swiss Skier Wins First Gold of Milan in His Debut Race
Milan's First Gold Goes to
Swiss Skier on His First Try
2026 olympics
Feb 7, 2026 5:15 PM CST

Milan's First Gold Goes to Swiss Skier on His First Try

Franjo von Allmen,24, celebrates before family and friends

(Newser) - In his first Olympic race ever, Franjo von Allmen delivered Switzerland the first gold medal to be awarded in the 2026 Winter Games, winning the men's downhill on the Stelvio course in Bormio on Saturday with what the Athletic described as "a magnificent performance." The 24-year-old posted...

Take a Sneak Peek at Some of the Olympics' New Events
Get Ready for Some
'Skimo' at the Winter Games
2026 OLYMPICS
Feb 7, 2026 6:30 AM CST

Get Ready for Some 'Skimo' at the Winter Games

Ski mountaineering is one of 8 new medal events to broaden competition, boost women's participation

(Newser) - Olympic viewers who think they've seen it all are about to meet "skimo." For the first time since skeleton returned in 2002, the Winter Games are adding a brand-new sport: ski mountaineering. The discipline—popularly shortened to skimo—will debut with three medal events: men's sprint,...

Pope Urges Global Truce During Winter Games
Pope Urges Truce During
Games, Adds Warnings
2026 Olympics
Feb 6, 2026 4:45 PM CST

Pope Urges Truce During Games, Adds Warnings

Glory of sports shouldn't be used for nationalism, Leo writes

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV used the occasion of the Winter Olympics' opening in northern Italy on Friday to urge a halt to warfare and to caution governments against turning sports into a political tool. In a formal papal letter, he called for military conflicts to be suspended as they used to...

WADA May Probe Odd Claims of Penis Injections in Ski Jumping

Claims involve genital injections to manipulate suit measurements for lift

(Newser) - A doping agency that usually worries about blood samples is now fielding questions about something far stranger: alleged penis injections in Olympic ski jumping, the Guardian reports. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says it will examine claims, first reported by German tabloid Bild, that some male jumpers are artificially enlarging...

7 US Athletes to Watch at the Olympics

Among them: speed skater Jordan Stolz, who's aiming for 5 golds

(Newser) - The Olympics are underway and among the talented pool of US athletes competing across 32 sports are a figure skating "god" with insane odds of winning gold, a young speedskater with a shot at five medals, and a legendary skier pushing on despite a banged-up knee. Seven US athletes...

Future Winter Games Could Start in January

IOC to consider shifting schedule to catch more snow

(Newser) - Staging future Winter Games as early as January and the Paralympic Winter Games in February is a possibility because of the effects of warmer weather, the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday. Moving to January would likely disrupt scheduling of storied World Cup races and events, and the competitions then would...

First Winter Olympics Event Was Halted Within Moments

Curling matches resumed after a brief power outage in Cortina

(Newser) - The Winter Olympics got underway Wednesday with the first curling matches in Cortina, Italy, but came to a halt only moments later because of a power outage. Officials briefly paused the matches at the historic curling stadium when the lights dimmed and flickered. Curlers kept sliding on the ice to...

21K Athletes Ask IOC to 'Ski Fossil Free'

Norwegian skier, filmmaker Nikolai Schirmer hands IOC petition on banning fossil fuel ads at Games

(Newser) - Norwegian skier Nikolai Schirmer on Wednesday handed the International Olympic Committee a petition signed by more than 21,000 professional athletes and others who want to stop fossil fuel companies from sponsoring winter sports. Schirmer delivered the "Ski Fossil Free" petition to the IOC's head of sustainability, Julie...

Vonn Had One Knee Replaced, Just Hurt the Other One

Injury raises doubts about Olympics, but 41-year-old says she knows something about comebacks

(Newser) - Lindsey Vonn's planned Olympic comeback suffered a jarring setback on Friday in Switzerland, just seven days before the Milan Cortina Games open in Italy. The 41-year-old American ski champ crashed in a World Cup downhill at Crans-Montana after losing her balance coming out of a jump on the second...

US Olympians, Paralympians Now Have a $100M Incentive

Financier Ross Stevens pledges $200,000 to every Team USA competitor going forward

(Newser) - American Olympians who come home without a medal are about to get the kind of payout usually reserved for champions. Beginning with the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month, Wall Street financier Ross Stevens plans to give every US Olympic and Paralympic athlete $200,000 per Games—no podium finish...

Italy Condemns ICE Role in Olympic Security

Interior ministry indicates US plan will not be allowed amid intense backlash

(Newser) - Milan's leader says ICE agents aren't welcome in the city following reports that they'll have a role in US security at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicking off next week. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the reports Tuesday, per CNN , saying ICE would have a "security...

7 US Athletes Are Olympians for the 5th Time

US team names the 232 athletes on Winter Games roster

(Newser) - The US team released its 232-athlete roster for the Milan Cortina Olympics on Monday, a lineup that includes Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn and bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor, who are among the seven Americans making their fifth trip to the games. Other five-timers are hockey player Hilary Knight,...

Guard Dies During Freezing Shift Near Winter Olympics Site

Worker, 55, found dead during -12C overnight security shift

(Newser) - A worker assigned to guard a construction site near a 2026 Winter Olympics venue in Cortina d'Ampezzo has died during an overnight shift in subzero conditions, prompting calls for a full investigation, the Guardian reports. Italian authorities said the 55-year-old man was on duty Thursday night when temperatures fell...

Triplets Gunning for a Spot at the Winter Olympics

Black siblings hope to represent their mother's Jamaica, open up skiing for athletes of color

(Newser) - It's been a whirlwind winter for triplets Helaina, Henri IV, and Henniyah Rivers in their quest to represent their mother's native Jamaica, a Caribbean island nation associated more with sprinting than skiing, at the Winter Olympics next month. As Black ski racers in a predominantly white sport, the...

Olympic Curling Relies on This Uninhabited Island

Scotland's Ailsa Craig supplies the super-dense granite needed to make the stones

(Newser) - If you're looking to strike gold—silver or bronze, too—look to Ailsa Craig. This uninhabited isle 10 miles off the coast of southwest Scotland is the source of the super-dense granite used to make curling stones for the Winter Olympics. Jim English, co-owner of Kays Curling, took a...

Team USA's 2026 Outfits Are Designed to 'Wear Forever'

Knit sweaters, vintage callbacks make up Ralph Lauren offerings for Winter Games in Italy

(Newser) - Ralph Lauren revealed Team USA's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics looks on Thursday, complete with Americana knit sweaters and plenty of vintage callbacks. The formal opening ceremony look pairs a patterned red, white, and blue knit sweater with tailored cream trousers and a matching wool coat. Moving sportier, the closing...

Olympic Flame Gets Off to a Dreary Start

Rain dampens lighting ceremony before torch sets off for Italy

(Newser) - The Olympic flame began its journey Wednesday to the Milan Cortina Winter Games—missing a little of its usual magic, per the AP . Bad weather lashing western Greece forced organizers to move the torch-lighting ceremony indoors, from Olympia's ancient stadium and temples to a nearby museum. The flame is...

Utah Had to Think Outside the Box to Win Its Olympic Bid

Podium34 taps wealthy private donors to bridge an Olympic funding gap

(Newser) - Utah's campaign to host the 2034 Winter Olympics had to clear a major hurdle first: convincing the International Olympic Committee it could raise enough money to stage the event, especially with other major competitions like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics also seeking US...

Skater Pulls Off Incredible Feat —With Broken Foot

Danny O'Shea and Ellie Kam finished 7th in championships, helping Team USA

(Newser) - Despite one of them having a broken foot, Danny O'Shea and Ellie Kam of Team USA finished in seventh place last Thursday in the pairs free skate competition at the world figure skating championships in Boston. That was enough to ensure the United States will get at least two...

Upcoming Winter Olympics Have an Unusual Problem

It's unclear whether a major track can be built in time for Italy's Milan-Cortina Games in 2026

(Newser) - It's kind of like buying tickets for an aging rock band and hoping that the 80-year-old singers and guitarists will be healthy enough to put on the show months down the line. Only this time, the show might be moved from Italy to New York, per the AP . Tickets...

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