The Olympic Games have a very long history. From the very first games held in Greece in 776 BCE, to the first modern version of the Summer Games in 1896. It wasn’t until 1928 that the first Winter Olympic Games kicked off. At the 1924 Summer Games, the Olympic committee decided that the winter events would take place as a separate “International Winter Sports Week,” with the events being Hockey, Speed-Skating, Figure Skating, Curling, Bobsleigh, and Skiing. The events were successful and popular, so the Olympic committee decided to create a separate winter event, which evolved into what are now known as the Winter Games. The first official Winter Olympic Games were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in February 1928 and featured the same events as the “International Winter Sports Week,” with the exception of curling. The games continued uninterrupted until 1940 and 1944 when they were canceled due to WWII; however, they were resumed in 1948 and have not been canceled since.
This February, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be hosted in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. This is the first time that the Olympic Games will be officially hosted by two cities. On February 6th, the games kicked off in an opening ceremony in Milan and featured performances from Mariah Carey and Italian singer Laura Pausini. The flagbearers for Team USA were Long Track Speedskater Erin Jackson and Bobsledder Frank Del Duca.
The 2026 games will feature Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Speed Skating, and the introduction of Ski Mountaineering. There are 238 athletes representing Team USA this February, with 123 men and 115 women competing in all 16 sports. Team USA’s Olympic uniform was designed by Ralph Lauren. 93 countries and an Individual Neutral Athletes team are set to compete in the games, with Benin, Guinea-Bissau, and the United Arab Emirates making their winter Olympics debut. The closing ceremony will be on February 22nd at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy.
You can watch the Winter Olympics on your TV on NBC, USA Network, or on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, or the NBC App. To find out when to watch your favorite sport, go to the official Olympics website to find the competition schedule.
