The qualification systems for all sports set to feature in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina have been officially approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Executive Board (EB) meeting, held on Friday, marked the finalization of qualification pathways for Alpine skiing, bobsleigh, and skeleton.
The competition schedule for each sport session has also received validation from the IOC, as reported by Xinhua. In adherence to the Olympic Charter, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) were responsible for developing the details of these qualification pathways.
Noteworthy revisions have been made to the Alpine skiing Olympic FIS points calculation, aligning it with FIS qualification events. Strengthened eligibility criteria aim to ensure that the most skilled athletes secure a spot at the Games. However, no significant alterations have been made to the qualification systems for other disciplines compared to the ones in place for the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
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Scheduled to unfold from February 6 to 22, 2026, Milan-Cortina 2026 anticipates the participation of 2,900 athletes across eight sports, 16 disciplines, and 116 medal events.
Guided by principles such as athlete experience, gender equality, weather considerations, broadcaster requests, and audience accessibility, a fitting competition schedule has been devised for the Games.
Updates about the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Gangwon and the upcoming Summer YOG edition in Dakar in 2026 were also shared during the IOC EB meeting. With just 50 days remaining until the opening ceremony of Gangwon 2024, preparations are underway.
Furthermore, the IOC has given its approval to the event program principles for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. The focus remains on crafting a compelling sports program while simultaneously reducing cost and complexity.
