Latest news with #EveMuirhead
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
2026 Winter Olympics schedule and day-by-day events
The 2026 Winter Olympics are less than a year away as Milano Cortina gears up to host the quadrennial festival of snow and ice-based sports. The last Winter Olympics in Beijing saw Norway top the medal table with 16 golds, ahead of Germany, USA and hosts China, while Team GB claimed just two medals – both in curling, right at the end of the Games, with Eve Muirhead skipping the women's team to gold and Bruce Mouat skipping the men's team to silver. Hopes are higher for more British medals this time around, not only in the curling rink but in a number of the snow events, with regular World Cup wins coming in disciplines such as snowboarding, snowboard cross and freestyle skiing from British competitors Milano Cortina 2026 will get underway on 4 February, with the opening ceremony two days later on 6 February, and will run until the closing ceremony on 22 February, with 116 medal events across the 19 days in Italy. The events are split up into four main geographical zones: Milano (hosting the ceremonies and sports such as ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating), Valtellina (hosting freestyle skiing and snowboard events among others), Cortina (home of the women's Alpine skiing and ice sports such as curling , skeleton and luge) and Val di Fiemme (where the ski jumping and cross-country skiing will take place). Full day-by-day Winter Olympic schedule (all times GMT) *********************************************************************************************************** Day -2 (Wednesday 4 February 2026) Curling 6.05pm–8.05pm: Mixed doubles round robin *********************************************************************************************************** Day -1 (Thursday 5 February 2026) Curling 9.05am–11.05am: Mixed doubles round robin 1.35pm-3.35pm: Mixed doubles round robin 6.05pm–8.05pm: Mixed doubles round robin Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Women's preliminary round 1.40pm–4.10pm: Women's preliminary round .40pm–6.10pm: Women's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Women's preliminary round Snowboarding 6.30pm–8.45pm: Men's snowboard big air qualification *********************************************************************************************************** Day 0 (Friday 6 February 2026) Curling 9.05am–11.05am: Mixed doubles round robin 1.35pm-3.35pm: Mixed doubles round robin Figure skating 8.55am–1.55pm: Team event (ice dance rhythm dance, pairs short program, women's singles short program) Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Women's preliminary round 1.40pm–4.10pm: Women's preliminary round OPENING CEREMONY Time TBC *********************************************************************************************************** Day 1 (Saturday 7 February 2026) – 5 gold medal events Alpine skiing 10.30am–12.50pm: Men's downhill 🏅 Cross-country skiing 12pm–1.50pm: Women's 10km+10km skiathlon 🏅 Curling 9.05am–11.05am: Mixed doubles round robin 1.35pm-3.35pm: Mixed doubles round robin 6.05pm–8.05pm: Mixed doubles round robin Figure skating 6.45pm–9.55pm: Team event (men's singles short program, ice dance free dance) Freestyle skiing 9.30am–11.45am: Women's freeski slopestyle qualification 1pm–3.15pm: Men's freeski slopestyle qualification Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Women's preliminary round 1.40pm–4.10pm: Women's preliminary round 3.40pm–6.10pm: Women's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Women's preliminary round Luge 4pm–6.20pm: Men's singles runs 1 and 2 Ski jumping 5.45pm–8pm: Women's normal hill individual 🏅 Snowboarding 6.30pm–8.05pm: Men's snowboard big air final 🏅 Speed skating 3pm–4.50pm: Women's 3000m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 2 (Sunday 8 February 2026) – 8 gold medal events Alpine skiing 10.30am–12.50pm: Women's downhill 🏅 Biathlon 1.05pm–2.40pm: Mixed relay 4x6km 🏅 Cross-country skiing 11.30am–1pm: Men's 10km+10km skiathlon 🏅 Curling 9.05am–11.05am: Mixed doubles round robin 1.35pm-3.35pm: Mixed doubles round robin 6.05pm–8.05pm: Mixed doubles round robin Figure skating 6.30pm–10.05pm: Team event (pairs free skating, women's singles free skating, men's singles free skating) 🏅 Ice hockey 3.40pm–6.10pm: Women's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Women's preliminary round Luge 4pm–6.40pm: Men's singles runs 3 and 4 🏅 Snowboarding 8am–10am: Men's parallel giant slalom qualification, Women's parallel giant slalom qualification 12pm–1.40pm: Men's parallel giant slalom final 🏅 Women's parallel giant slalom final 🏅 6.30–8.45pm: Women's snowboard big air qualification Speed skating 3pm–5.20pm: Men's 5000m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 3 (Monday 9 February 2026) – 5 gold medal events Alpine skiing 9.30am–11.15am: Men's team combined (downhill) 1pm–2.20pm: Men's team combined (slalom) 🏅 Curling 9.05am–11.05am: Mixed doubles round robin 5.05pm–7.05pm: Mixed doubles semi-finals Figure skating 6.20pm–9.55pm: Ice dance rhythm dance Freestyle skiing 11.30am–1.20pm: Women's freeski slopestyle final 🏅 Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Women's preliminary round 3.40pm–6.10pm: Women's preliminary round 7.10pm–9.40pm: Women's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Women's preliminary round Luge 4pm–6.20pm: Women's singles runs 1 and 2 Ski jumping 6pm–8.15pm: Men's normal hill individual 🏅 Snowboarding 6.30pm–8.05pm: Women's snowboard big air final 🏅 Speed skating 4.30pm–6.05pm: Women's 1000m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 4 (Tuesday 10 February 2026) – 9 gold medal events Alpine skiing 9.30am–11.15am: Women's team combined (downhill) 1pm–2.20pm: Women's team combined (slalom) 🏅 Biathlon 12.30pm–2.30pm: Men's 20km individual 🏅 Cross-country skiing 8.15am–9.45am: Women's sprint classic qualification, Men's sprint classic qualification 10.45am–12.50pm: Women's sprint classic finals 🏅 Men's sprint classic finals 🏅 Curling 1.05pm–3.05pm: Mixed doubles bronze medal match 🥉 5.05pm–7.25pm: Mixed doubles gold medal match 🏅 Figure skating 5.30pm–9.45pm: Men's singles short program Freestyle skiing 10.15am–11.15am: Men's moguls qualification first round 11.30am–1.20pm: Men's freeski slopestyle final 🏅 1.15pm–2.15pm: Women's moguls qualification first round (depending on light situation) Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Women's preliminary round 3.40pm–6.10pm: Women's preliminary round 7.10pm–9.40pm: Women's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Women's preliminary round Luge 4pm–6.50pm: Men's singles runs 3 and 4 🏅 Ski jumping 5.45pm–8.10pm: Mixed team 🏅 Short track speed skating 9.30am–12.15pm: Women's 500m qualification; Men's 1000m qualification; Mixed team relay quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 5 (Wednesday 11 February 2026) – 8 gold medal events Alpine skiing 10.30am–12.50pm: Men's super-G 🏅 Biathlon 1.15pm–3.10pm: Women's 15km individual 🏅 Curling 6.05pm–9.05pm: Men's round robin 1 Figure skating 6.30pm–10.15pm: Ice dance free dance 🏅 Freestyle skiing 10am–10.45am: Women's moguls qualification second round 1.15pm–2.35pm: Women's moguls final (depending on light situation) 🏅 Ice hockey 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's preliminary round Luge 4.30pm–7.40pm: Men's doubles runs 1 and 2 🏅 Women's doubles runs 1 and 2 🏅 Nordic combined 9am–9.45am: Men's individual Gundersen normal hill ski jumping 12.45pm–1.35pm: Men's individual Gundersen normal hill 10km 🏅 Snowboarding 9.30am–11.30am: Women's snowboard halfpipe qualification 6.30pm–8.30pm: Men's snowboard halfpipe qualification Speed skating 5.30pm–7pm: Men's 1000m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 6 (Thursday 12 February 2026) – 9 gold medal events Alpine skiing 10.30am–12.50pm: Women's super-G 🏅 Cross-country skiing 12pm–1.55pm: Women's 10km interval start free 🏅 Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Women's round robin 1 1.05pm–4.05pm: Men's round robin 2 6.05pm–9.05pm: Women's round robin 2 Freestyle skiing 9am–9.45am: Men's moguls qualification second round 11.15am–12.35pm: Men's moguls final 🏅 Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Men's preliminary round 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's preliminary round (2 games) Luge 5.30pm–6.55pm: Team relay 🏅 Short track speed skating 7.15pm-9.20pm: Women's 500m quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals 🏅 Men's 1000m quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals 🏅 Skeleton 3pm-5.40pm: Men's heats 1 and 2 Snowboarding 9am–10.30am: Men's snowboard cross qualification 12.45pm–2.25pm: Men's snowboard cross finals 🏅 6.30pm–8.20pm: Women's snowboard halfpipe final 🏅 Speed skating 3.30pm–5.15pm: Women's 5000m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 7 (Friday 13 February 2026) – 7 gold medal events Biathlon 1pm–2.40pm: Men's 10km sprint 🏅 Cross-country skiing 11am–12.55pm: Men's 10km interval start free 🏅 Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Men's round robin 3 1.05pm–4.05pm: Women's round robin 3 6.05pm–9.05pm: Men's round robin 4 Figure skating 6pm–10.15pm: Men's singles free skating 🏅 Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Men's preliminary round (2 games) 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's preliminary round, Women's quarter-final 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's preliminary round, Women's quarter-final Skeleton 3pm–5.40pm: Women's heats 1 and 2 6.30pm–9.20pm: Men's heats 3 and 4 🏅 Snowboard 9am–10.30am: Women's snowboard cross qualification 12.30am–2.10pm: Women's snowboard cross finals 🏅 6.30pm–8.20pm: Men's snowboard halfpipe final 🏅 Speed skating 3pm–5.15pm: Men's 10000m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 8 (Saturday 14 February 2026) – 8 gold medal events Alpine skiing 9am–11am: Men's giant slalom run 1 12.30pm–2.20pm: Men's giant slalom run 2 🏅 Biathlon 1pm–2.35pm: Women's 7.5km sprint 🏅 Cross-country skiing 11am–1pm: Women's 4x7.5km relay 🏅 Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Women's round robin 4 1.05pm–4.05pm: Men's round robin 5 6.05pm–9.05pm: Women's round robin 5 Freestyle skiing 9.30am–11.05am: Women's dual moguls final 🏅 6.30pm–8.45pm: Women's freeski big air qualification Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Men's preliminary round (2 games) 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's preliminary round, Women's quarter-final 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's preliminary round, Women's quarter-final Short track speed skating 7.15pm–10.05pm: Women's 1000m qualification; Men's 1500m quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals 🏅 Women's 3000m relay semi-finals Skeleton 5pm–7.50pm: Women's heats 3 and 4 🏅 Ski jumping 5.45pm–8.05pm: Men's large hill individual 🏅 Speed skating 3pm–5.05pm: Women's team pursuit qualification, Men's 500m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 9 (Sunday 15 February 2026) – 9 gold medal events Alpine skiing 9am–11am: Women's giant slalom run 1 12.30pm–2.20pm: Women's giant slalom run 2 🏅 Biathlon 10.15am–11am: Men's 12.5km pursuit 🏅 1.45pm–3pm: Women's 10km pursuit 🏅 Bobsleigh 9am–11.50am: Women's monobob heats 1 and 2 Cross-country skiing 11am–1pm: Men's 4x7.5km relay 🏅 Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Men's round robin 6 1.05pm–4.05pm: Women's round robin 6 6.05pm–9.05pm: Men's round robin 7 Figure skating 6.45pm–9.25pm: Pairs short program Freestyle skiing 9.30am–11.05am: Men's dual moguls final 🏅 6.30pm–8.45pm: Men's freeski big air qualification Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Men's preliminary round 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's preliminary round 6.10pm–8.40pm: Men's preliminary round 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's preliminary round Skeleton 5pm–7pm: Mixed team 🏅 Ski jumping 5.45pm–8.05pm: Women's large hill individual 🏅 Snowboard 10am–11.30am: Mixed team snowboard cross qualification 12.45pm–2.05pm: Mixed team snowboard cross finals 🏅 Speed skating 3pm–5.05pm: Men's team pursuit qualification, Women's 500m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 10 (Monday 16 February 2026) – 6 gold medal events Alpine skiing 9am–11am: Men's slalom run 1 12.30pm–2.20pm: Men's slalom run 2 🏅 Bobsleigh 9am–12pm: Two-man heats 1 and 2 6pm–9.15pm: Women's monobob heats 3 and 4 🏅 Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Women's round robin 7 1.05pm–4.05pm: Men's round robin 8 6.05pm–9.05pm: Women's round robin 8 Figure skating 7pm–10.10pm: Pairs free skating 🏅 Freestyle skiing 6.30pm–8.05pm: Women's freeski big air final 🏅 Ice hockey 3.40pm–6.10pm: Women's semi-finals 8.10pm–10.40pm: Women's semi-finals Short track speed skating 10am–12.15pm: Men's 500m qualification; Women's 1000m quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals 🏅 Men's 5000m relay semi-finals Ski jumping 6pm–8.05pm: Men's super team 🏅 Snowboarding 9.30am–11.45am: Women's snowboard slopestyle qualification 1pm–3.15pm: Men's snowboard slopestyle qualification *********************************************************************************************************** Day 11 (Tuesday 17 February 2026) – 7 gold medal events Biathlon 1.30pm–3.10pm: Men's 4x7.5km relay 🏅 Bobsleigh 6pm–9.10pm: Two-man heats 3 and 4 🏅 Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Men's round robin 9 1.05pm–4.05pm: Women's round robin 9 6.05pm–9.05pm: Men's round robin 10 Figure skating 5.45pm–10pm: Women's singles short program Freestyle skiing 10am–11.15am: Women's aerials qualification 12.30pm–1.45pm: Men's aerials qualification 6.30pm–8.05pm: Men's freeski big air final 🏅 Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Men's qualification playoffs (2 games) 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's qualification playoffs 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's qualification playoffs Nordic combined 9am–9.45am: Men's individual Gundersen large hill ski jumping 12.45pm–1.35pm: Men's individual Gundersen large hill 10km 🏅 Snowboarding 12pm–1.50pm: Women's snowboard slopestyle final 🏅 Speed skating 1.30pm–4.25: Men's team pursuit finals 🏅 Women's team pursuit finals 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 12 (Wednesday 18 February 2026) – 8 gold medal events Alpine skiing 9am–11am: Women's slalom run 1 12.30pm–2.20pm: Women's slalom run 2 🏅 Biathlon 1.45pm–3.20pm: Women's 4x6km relay 🏅 Cross-country skiing 8.45am–9.45am: Men's team sprint free qualification, Women's team sprint free qualification 10.45am–12.15pm: Men's team sprint free finals 🏅 Women's team sprint free finals 🏅 Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Women's round robin 10 1.05pm–4.05pm: Men's round robin 11 6.05pm–9.05pm: Women's round robin 11 Freestyle skiing 10.30am–12.05pm: Women's aerials final 🏅 Ice hockey 11.10am–1.40pm: Men's quarter-finals 1.10pm–3.40pm: Men's quarter-finals 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's quarter-finals 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's quarter-finals Short track speed skating 7.15pm–9.05pm: Men's 500m quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals 🏅 Women's 3000m relay 🏅 Snowboarding 11.30am–1.20pm: Men's snowboard slopestyle final 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 13 (Thursday 19 February 2026) – 7 gold medal events Curling 8.05am–11.05am: Men's round robin 12 1.05pm–4.05pm: Women's round robin 12 6.05pm–9.05pm: Men's semi-finals Figure skating 6pm–10.15pm: Women's singles free skating 🏅 Freestyle skiing 9.30am–11.30am: Men's freeski halfpipe qualification 10.30am–12.05pm: Men's aerials final 🏅 6.30pm–8.30pm: Women's freeski halfpipe qualification Ice hockey 1.40pm–4.10pm: Women's bronze medal final 🥉 6.10pm–9.10pm: Women's gold medal final 🏅 Nordic combined 9am–9.50am: Men's team sprint large hill 1pm–2pm: Men's team sprint 2x7.5km 🏅 Ski mountaineering 8.50am–10.10am: Men's sprint heats, Women's sprint heats 11.55am–1.45pm: Men's sprint final 🏅 Women's sprint final 🏅 Speed skating 3.30pm–5.10pm: Men's 1500m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 14 (Friday 20 February 2026) – 6 gold medal events Biathlon 1.15pm–2.20pm: Men's 15km mass start 🏅 Bobsleigh 6pm-9.10pm: Two-woman heats 1 and 2 Curling 1.05pm–4.05pm: Women's semi-finals 6.05pm–9.05pm: Men's bronze medal match 🥉 Freestyle skiing 9am–10.30am: Women's ski cross qualification 11am–12.40pm: Women's ski cross finals 🏅 6.30pm–8.20pm: Men's freeski halfpipe final 🏅 Ice hockey 3.40pm–6.10pm: Men's semi-finals 8.10pm–10.40pm: Men's semi-finals Short track speed skating 7.15pm–9.40pm: Women's 1500m quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals 🏅 Men's 5000m relay finals 🏅 Speed skating 3.30pm–5.10pm: Women's 1500m 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 15 (Saturday 21 February 2026) – 10 gold medal events Biathlon 1.15pm–2.15pm: Women's 12.5km mass start 🏅 Bobsleigh 9am–12pm: Four-man heats 1 and 2 6pm–9.10pm: Two-woman heats 3 and 4 🏅 Cross-country skiing 10am–1.05pm: Men's 50km mass start classic 🏅 Curling 1.05pm–4.05pm: Women's bronze medal match 🥉 6.05pm–9.25pm: Men's gold medal match 🏅 Figure skating 7pm–9.30pm: Exhibition gala Freestyle skiing 9am–10.30am: Men's ski cross qualification 9.45am–11.35am: Mixed team aerials final 🏅 11am–12.40pm: Men's ski cross finals 🏅 6.30pm–8.20pm: Women's freeski halfpipe final 🏅 Ice hockey 7.40pm–10.40pm: Men's bronze medal match 🥉 Ski mountaineering 12.30pm–1.50pm: Mixed relay finals 🏅 Speed skating 2pm–5pm: Men's mass start 🏅 Women's mass start 🏅 *********************************************************************************************************** Day 16 (Sunday 22 February 2026) – 4 gold medal events Bobsleigh 9am–12.20pm: Four-man heats 3 and 4 🏅 Cross-country skiing 9am–12.35pm: Women's 50km mass start classic 🏅 Curling 10.05am–1.25pm: Women's gold medal match 🏅 Ice hockey 12.40pm–3.40pm: Men's gold medal match 🏅 CLOSING CEREMONY Time TBC
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Eve Muirhead relishing chance to help GB's Winter Olympians achieve their dreams
Eve Muirhead insists she is undaunted by the challenge of swapping her curling broom for a stack of spreadsheets as she prepares to spearhead Great Britain's Winter Olympic bid in Milan and Cortina in exactly one year's time. The 34-year-old Muirhead has no regrets about deciding to bring an end to her glittering career in the wake of her gold medal win in Beijing in 2022, leading to her appointment as Team GB chef de mission at the Games for the first time. Few British athletes have experienced a greater range of Olympic emotions than Muirhead, whose four cycles involved a broom-breakingly bad debut in Vancouver in 2006, a frustrating bronze in Sochi four years later and a near-miss in Pyeongchang before it all came good in China's Covid-stricken capital. 'I've experienced every possible aspect of an Olympic Games, from the highs to the lows, and I want to listen to the athletes and to share my own experiences to help and support them as much as I can,' said Muirhead. 'It's been a challenge for me and I love challenging myself. I still set myself certain goals to achieve and it's something that drives me every single day, to be better, to learn, to listen and to make sure we get everything right. 'I guess now, being in charge of the delegation, you feel that you're part of those athletes' dreams and you have a say in how you're going to manage them and hopefully help them make those dreams come true. 'I know how satisfying it is to go out there with the Team GB logo on and you want to see those athletes with a smile on their faces, coming away from the Games knowing they've done as well as they can and having memories that will last a lifetime.' Muirhead expects to lead a team of approximately 50 athletes to Milan and Cortina, one which looks well equipped to erase the disappointment of Beijing, in which Muirhead and her fellow curling captain Bruce Mouat achieved Team GB's only two podium places. Mia Brookes, Charlotte Bankes and Zoe Atkin boast World Cup wins in snowboard and freestyle already this year, Britain's bobsleigh and skeleton squads have landed a slew of gold medals and Mouat could well head into his second Games ranked number one in the world. 'Winter sports are very unpredictable,' added Muirhead, who made her chef de mission debut at the Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon last year. 'There are such small margins between winning and losing on the winter stage. Beijing was a slightly different Games in that a lot of sports didn't have the perfect preparation because of the Covid environment. But we don't put numbers on it, I think it would be unfair to put that pressure on the athletes.' Logistically, the Milan and Cortina Games present a unique challenge to Muirhead given the daunting travelling time between the Games' three major hubs in Milan, which will host the skating disciplines, Livigno, where the freestyle programme takes place, and Cortina, set to host curling and sliding. That logistical issue could become a trans-Atlantic headache, with Lake Placid on standby to step in as host of the sliding events should Italian organisers fail in their race against time to rebuild the century-old track in Cortina – in the face of much local opposition – in time to stage the Games. 'I had a call with the organising committee a couple of weeks ago. They are doing monthly checks and all is up to speed and up to date,' said Muirhead. 'We're very calm about it. We're following the organising committee's advice and right now we're all focused on the sliding still being in Cortina. If that does change, then we go with it and it's all hands on deck to make it work.'
New York Times
05-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics ‘about taking the sport to its people' – Team GB chief Eve Muirhead
Olympic curling champion Eve Muirhead believes Milan-Cortina 2026 will be a mix of the Winter Games' past and future as it combines alpine resort settings with a wide geographic spread of existing venues to keep costs down. The four-time Olympian retired as an athlete shortly after she won gold at Beijing 2022 but last year was named as Team GB's chef de mission for the 2026 edition in northern Italy. Advertisement The Games, which officially open at Milan's San Siro Stadium on February 6 2026, return to Italy for the first time in 20 years, with Turin having hosted in 2006. As well as the return to a more traditional setting, Milan-Cortina's defining feature will be its massive footprint, or what the organising committee are describing as 'the most widespread Olympic and Paralympic Games ever'. This is a reference to the 'cluster' approach they are using, with the Games' 116 events being staged in four main centres: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Milan, Val di Fiemme and Valtellina. A fifth, Verona, will host the closing ceremony on February 22. 'The way Milano-Cortina is looking at it is the principle of adapting the Games to its territory,' explained Muirhead. 'So it's about taking the sport to its people — something that hasn't been done before but I think we'll see again in the next Winter Olympics in the French Alps (in 2030). 'I think it's a massive positive because a lot of these sports are used to competing on these different sites, they know the slopes, the rinks, the fields of play, like the back of their hands because they've competed in World Cups and World Champs there. 'Having those smaller clusters is going to be more like a World Championship-type environment. As an athlete who's competed at the Winter Olympics, I know how much it means to try to replicate that as much as you can, because that's what we do yearly — we compete at these majors.' As well as the opening ceremony, Milan will host most of the skating events, including ice hockey, while Cortina, the host of the 1956 Winter Games, will stage some of the skiing events, biathlon, curling and – all being well – the sliding events. Bormio and Livigno in the Valtellina valley will host more skiing and snowboarding, while Val di Fiemme is the place for ski jumping, cross country skiing and speed skating. Advertisement 'When I come away from Cortina, Milan or Livigno, especially, it's very much an alpine, skiing, winter feel and that's just perfect for a Winter Olympics,' said Muirhead, whose new role means the 34-year-old Scot will be the leader of the British team in Italy. 'I competed in Vancouver, Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing and you wouldn't really class them as alpine villages, but when it comes to Milano-Cortina it definitely has that feel.' But with 250 miles separating Milan and Cortina, the 2026 Games are a significant departure from the IOC's traditional host-city model. Not that the IOC had much choice — it had to try something new. The decision to go to Beijing in 2022, only 14 years after it hosted the Summer Olympics, was an attempt to bring the Games to a big, new audience. The fact that the next two editions of the Games are in more typical surroundings would suggest that experiment did not completely work. GO DEEPER The 'miracle' of Lindsey Vonn: One of the greatest comebacks in modern sport Several candidate cities in Europe dropped out of the selection process for 2022 because of concerns over costs, and worried that interest in staging the Winter Games was waning, the IOC relaxed its requirement that a single place should host the majority of events, allowing bids from much broader locations. It also promised to make a bigger financial contribution to the hosts' costs. Despite this, bids from Calgary and Sion in Switzerland for 2026 were both withdrawn following public referendums, and bids from Graz in Austria and Japan's Sapporo also failed to materialise. This left Milan-Cortina against another cluster-based bid from Stockholm and Are, a resort 400 miles north of the Swedish capital. The Italian bid won the 2019 vote 47-34 and has spent the last six years slowly preparing for the country's fourth Olympic Games. However, there is still one very important venue to be finished, the sliding centre in Cortina that will host the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions — events that have been medal opportunities for Team GB in recent Games. Advertisement After considering cheaper options, such as reopening Turin 2006's closed sliding centre or holding these events in Austria, the Italian government decided to back a complete rebuild of Cortina's Eugenio Monti track. But work on the £100million project did not start until last year following delays in finding a contractor and securing funding. Given the uncertainty over whether it will be finished in time, the IOC quietly announced just before Christmas that it had a plan B: Lake Placid in upstate New York, the host of the 1980 Games and, arguably, the best sliding venue in the world. The bosses of Milan-Cortina 2026, however, remain adamant that there will not be an American cluster during their Games. 'I had a call with the organising committee a couple of weeks ago and they are doing monthly checks on the sliding centre and all is up to speed and up to date,' said Muirhead. 'There's still some work to do on it but they're still very positive come the next check in mid-February and homologation in March. 'Right now, we're all focused on sliding being in Cortina. If that does change, we go with it and it will be all hands on deck to make it work. But at the minute, it's looking very positive that it will be in Cortina.' GO DEEPER Keeping up with the Macugas, America's next first family of the Winter Olympics (Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images)
The Guardian
05-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Eve Muirhead refuses to set GB medal target for 2026 Winter Olympics
The Team GB chef de mission for the Winter Olympics next year, Eve Muirhead, has said it would be unfair to set a medal target for Britain's athletes in Milano-Cortina. Muirhead was part of the women's curling team that claimed Britain's only gold medal at Beijing in 2022. Alongside a solitary silver for the men's curlers, the total fell below the UK Sport target of three to seven medals for the Games. Now Muirhead believes expectations should be centred on allowing athletes to compete without undue pressure. 'Winter sports are very unpredictable,' she said. 'There are such small margins between winning and losing on the winter stage. But we don't put numbers on it, I think it would be unfair to put that pressure on the athletes. They will perform the best they can. If they come away with a smile on their face, then that's good. 'You look at Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang [in 2018], it was the best medal returns that we've had – five medals at each of those Games. Yes, Beijing, we were at the bottom of the UK Sport's medal range, but it was held in that Covid environment. It didn't help preparations. We don't set medal targets and we never have. It would be unfair to do that. It would be unfair to put that pressure on the athlete.' With a year to go before the Games begin, Muirhead expects Team GB to take about 50 athletes to Italy, qualification depending. She is enthused by the prospect of Milan and Cortina's four geographical 'clusters' of activity and remains positive that the rebuilding of the 100-year-old sliding track in Cortina will be completed in time, with Lake Placid in the US acting as a backup venue. 'It's very much an alpine skiing winter feel, they have World Cup events yearly, and I think that is just perfect for a Winter Olympics,' Muirhead said of the location. 'For us in Great Britain, we're only an hour time change away, so I think it will be great for viewing at home and for spectators to get out there. We've got a huge opportunity from it being on our doorstep.' Of the sliding, Muirhead said she had recently discussed progress with the Games' organising committee. 'I had a call a couple of weeks ago and they are doing monthly checks on the sliding and all is up to speed and up to date. There is still some work to do on it but they are still very positive come the next check in mid-February. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'We're following the organising committee's advice and right now we're all focused on sliding being in Cortina. If that does change then we go with it and it's all hands on deck to make that work, but right now it's looking very positive for it to continue being in Cortina and we'll keep a close eye on it.'
