The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, will introduce eight new medal events, including three in a sport making its Olympic debut.
The new events span multiple disciplines, from high-speed sliding sports to technical ski competitions and endurance-based mountain racing. Each addition brings a new format or expands opportunities for women on the Olympic stage.
Here’s a breakdown of every new event coming to the 2026 Winter Games.
Ski Mountaineering Makes Its Olympic Debut
Ski mountaineering, also known as skimo, will appear at the Olympics for the first time in 2026. The sport blends uphill climbing with downhill skiing and will feature three medal events: men’s sprint, women’s sprint, and a mixed relay.
Races begin at the base of the course, where athletes attach carpet-like “skins” to their skis to grip the snow while racing uphill. Near the top, competitors reach a section too steep to ski, forcing them to remove their skis, strap them to their backs, and hike in their boots. This phase is known as “boot packing.”
Once they crest the climb, athletes jump back into their skis, rip off the skins, and charge downhill through gates to the finish. The descent resembles a giant slalom, combining speed with technical precision.
Luge Adds Women’s Doubles as a New Event
The luge program will expand in 2026 with the introduction of women’s doubles. Until now, Olympic doubles luge has featured only male competitors since the event debuted in 1964.
In doubles competition, the athlete on the bottom steers the sled while the top athlete focuses on visibility and balance. With a higher center of gravity than singles and twice the weight speeding down the track, synchronization is essential as teams navigate sharp turns at high speeds.
The addition creates a parallel opportunity for women in a discipline that has long been limited to men at the Olympic level.
Ski Jumping Introduces Women’s Large Hill at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Women will compete in the large hill ski jumping event for the first time at the 2026 Games, matching the men’s long-standing large hill competition.
Ski jumping now includes Normal Hill, Large Hill, and mixed team events.
The main difference between Normal Hill and Large Hill lies in hill size and the K point, which marks where the slope begins to flatten. Athletes on the Normal Hill receive more points per meter traveled, while Large Hill emphasizes distance and style on a bigger scale.
In Milan Cortina, men and women will compete individually on both hills, with mixed team events rounding out the program.
Skeleton Adds a New Event in Mixed Team Relay
Skeleton will debut its mixed team relay in Italy. The format pairs one woman and one man from the same country, with each athlete completing a run back-to-back. Their combined times determine the final standings.
The event is one of the newest formats in winter sports. After its launch at the World Championships, it quickly moved into World Cup competition, signaling its rapid growth. Several World Cup races and the most recent World Championships have already featured the mixed team relay.
The Olympic version brings that momentum to the world’s biggest winter stage.
Freestyle Skiing Adds Men’s and Women’s Dual Moguls
Dual moguls will join the freestyle skiing program in 2026 for both men and women.
In this head-to-head format, two skiers race down adjacent mogul courses at the same time. Judges evaluate turns, jumps, and speed, with the skier receiving more votes advancing to the next round.
Unlike traditional moguls, dual moguls emphasizes direct competition, creating bracket-style matchups that add intensity and strategy to each run.
Alpine Skiing Introduces Team Combined at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Team combined will make its Olympic debut in alpine skiing at Milan Cortina.
The event consists of two runs: downhill and slalom. Unlike super combined, where one athlete completes both runs, team combined assigns one skier to downhill and another to slalom. The pair’s times are added together, and the fastest cumulative result wins.
The format highlights teamwork while blending speed and technical skill across disciplines.
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