The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have passed into history. The closing ceremony capped two weeks of sporting competition, dominated by the teams from Switzerland, Norway, and Great Britain. While the Swiss celebrate the successes of their alpine skiers and hockey players, the British are celebrating a historic success, winning a record three gold medals. The Games were also rife with controversies, from curling disputes to unexpected incidents on the courses, which drew millions of viewers to their screens.

Historic Triumph for Switzerland

The Swiss team finished the Games with a tally of 23 medals, the best result in their history of appearances at the Winter Olympics.

Records for the British Team

Team GB is celebrating a historic success, bringing home from Milan the highest number of gold medals in their history of winter starts.

Pressure and Mental Health

Ilia Malinin highlighted the destructive impact of societal expectations and pressure on results for the world's top athletes.

Gigantic Viewership

Coverage of the Games attracted record viewership, exceeding 100 million viewers in German television alone.

The Games in Italy will be remembered by fans as a tournament full of extreme emotions and sporting sensations. Switzerland achieved a spectacular success, winning a total of 23 medals, making these Games the most successful in the history of this alpine country. The star of the team was Franjo von Allmen, and hockey player Alina Müller had the honor of carrying the flag during the closing ceremony. Meanwhile, the British team returned home with a record number of gold medals, confirming their growing strength in winter sports. The Winter Olympics were first held in 1924 in Chamonix. Italy has hosted winter athletes twice before: in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and in Turin in 2006, making the 2026 edition a return to historic cradles of skiing.The competition was not free from drama and controversy. Ilia Malinin, a figure skating star, criticized the immense psychological pressure placed on athletes in an emotional statement after his defeat. In curling, Marc Kennedy faced a wave of online hate following a debatable situation involving a so-called "double touch" of the stone. Despite these shadows, the Games enjoyed enormous interest; coverage on German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF drew millions of viewers to their screens, reaching audiences exceeding 6 million at peak moments. „No athlete should have to go through that” — Ilia Malinin The competitions also provided bizarre moments, such as a dog appearing on the course of one of the races or Atle Lie McGrath's escape into the forest. The Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Games showcased the modern face of winter sports, combining traditional alpine disciplines with spectacular new-generation events. The finish of the Games is a time for summaries not only of sporting achievements but also organizational ones, which, despite the dispersal of venues, are assessed positively by most teams. 23 — medals won by the Swiss team Number of medals won by selected nations: Switzerland: 23, Austria: 18, Great Britain: 12, Australia: 5

Mentioned People

  • Ilia Malinin — American figure skater who spoke about immense psychological pressure after an unsuccessful performance.
  • Alina Müller — Swiss hockey player, bronze medalist, flag bearer for the team at the closing ceremony.
  • Franjo von Allmen — Swiss alpine skier, the revelation of the 2026 Olympic Games.