Olympic Winter Games 2026: Questions and Answers About Tickets and Venues

At several venues in the six clusters of the 2026 Winter Olympics, work is still in full swing - tickets are still available for some events. An overview:

When do the 2026 Winter Olympics begin?

The games run from February 6 to 22. The official start is on the evening of Friday, February 6, with an opening ceremony at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. In addition to the central ceremony, celebrations and athlete parades will also take place at other locations, such as Predazzo, Livigno, and Cortina d'Ampezzo. However, events are already scheduled in the two days prior, such as the first men's downhill training, ice hockey games, curling, or the men's snowboard big air qualification. The closing ceremony will take place on February 22 in the ancient Arena of Verona. Almost 2,900 athletes from around the world are expected at the Olympic Games.

What are likely to be the highlights of the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The men's ski races in Bormio and the women's in Cortina d'Ampezzo are the first Olympic alpine events on World Cup traditional courses in two decades. There are likely to be atmospheric sports festivals at the biathlon in the cult location of Antholz, as well as at the Nordic events in Val di Fiemme. From an Austrian perspective, it is also worth looking at Livigno with the snowboard and freeski competitions. The indoor ice competitions, including the men's ice hockey tournament with superstars from the North American NHL, will take place in Milan. A sport is making its Olympic debut: ski mountaineering in Bormio.

Are there still tickets available for the 2026 Winter Olympics events?

The organizers do not officially disclose how many tickets have been sold. According to reports, 800,000 out of a total of around 1.2 million tickets are gone. For some disciplines like alpine skiing, bobsleigh, luge, ski jumping, or curling, no individual tickets are available on the official portal, only expensive hospitality packages. Remaining tickets are available for events like figure skating or speed skating, snowboarding, or freeski/ski freestyle - however, these are sometimes very expensive. According to the organizers, more than half of all tickets were available for less than 100 euros each - in such price ranges, tickets are now only available for biathlon, cross-country skiing, or the Nordic combined.

Are all venues ready for the 2026 Winter Olympics?

All venues "will be ready on time," says the special commissioner for the Olympic constructions, Fabio Massimo Saldini, according to the news agency ANSA. In many places, final sprints are necessary: In Livigno, where the snowboarders and freeskiers/ski freestylers compete, the spectacular finish stadium was still a shell a few weeks ago. The biggest concern for months was the missing luge and bobsleigh track - even relocating abroad was considered. However, a new track was built in Cortina d'Ampezzo in less than a year.

(APA/red)

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