Türkiye will head to the 25th Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina with its largest and most diverse delegation yet, fielding nine athletes across figure skating, skiing and para alpine skiing as it looks to claim its first-ever Winter Olympic medal.
The Games, scheduled for Feb. 6-22, 2026, will be staged across Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, marking the third time Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics after Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006.
First held in Chamonix, France, in 1924, the Winter Games remain the pinnacle of competition for snow and ice sports.
Türkiye’s medal hopes
Türkiye will compete in 16 Olympic disciplines with two athletes in short track speed skating, six in skiing and one in para alpine skiing.
Short track skaters Furkan Akar and Denis Örs will represent Türkiye in a landmark moment for the program, as the country has qualified two athletes in the discipline for the first time in Winter Olympic history.
In cross-country skiing, Irem Dursun will race in the women’s events, while Abdullah Yılmaz will compete on the men’s side.
Alpine skiing will feature Ada Hasırcı in the women’s competition and Thomas Kaan Önol Lang among the men.
Türkiye also continues to expand its footprint in ski jumping, qualifying two athletes for the first time. Fatih Arda Ipcioğlu and Muhammed Ali Bedir will take to the hill in Italy, aiming to push Türkiye into new Olympic territory.
In para alpine skiing, Harun Mut will carry the Turkish flag at Milano-Cortina 2026, representing the nation in the Paralympic-aligned events.
At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Türkiye competed with seven athletes across alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, short track speed skating and ski jumping.
Despite sending athletes to the Winter Games since 1936, the country has yet to win an Olympic medal, making Milano-Cortina another opportunity to rewrite history.
Inside the Milano-Cortina
The 2026 Winter Olympics will feature more than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries competing for 195 medals across 16 Olympic and six Paralympic disciplines.
Women will make up 47% of the athlete field, with new events such as the mixed team skeleton and women’s doubles luge added to the Olympic program.
Competition will begin on Feb. 4, two days before the opening ceremony, with mixed doubles curling matches at the historic Cortina Olympic Stadium, which also hosted events at the 1956 Games.
The opening ceremony will take place Feb. 6 at Milan’s San Siro Stadium, while the Games will conclude on Feb. 22 following the men’s ice hockey final and women’s curling final.
Venues
Milan will host figure skating, speed skating, short track speed skating and ice hockey. Cortina d’Ampezzo will stage women’s alpine skiing, curling, bobsleigh, skeleton and luge events.
The Val di Fiemme valley in Trentino will welcome cross-country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined, while biathlon will be held in Anterselva.
Bormio’s Stelvio slope will host men’s alpine skiing and ski mountaineering, which will make its Olympic debut.
Freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions will take place in Livigno.
Since the inaugural Games in 1924, Norway has dominated the Winter Olympics medal table with 148 gold medals, followed by the United States with 114 and Germany with 105.