Excitement continues to build as we move closer to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, scheduled for 6–22 February 2026. The Olympic flame has now completed its handover in Athens and begun a 12,000 km torch relay across Italy, visiting all 110 provinces in the lead-up to opening night in Milan.
Organisers report that venue preparations and operational planning are progressing well, with recent updates to the IOC Executive Board highlighting strong momentum and successful test activities. Ticket sales continue to move steadily, with around 70% of the total tickets issued now sold, though some categories, including Paralympic tickets, remain slower.
In wider Olympic movement news, nine Russian and Belarusian athletes have been cleared to compete as neutral athletes in qualification events, which may influence competition fields in several winter sports.
Closer to home, competition has now kicked off for athletes targeting Olympic qualification, with selection opportunities and crucial ranking points on the line across multiple winter sports. Qualification will run until the middle of January 2026, with the Team Ireland delegation to be confirmed at the end of January 2026.