Winter Olympics 2026: Milano Cortina Medals & MCQs

Italy was selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2026 Winter Games, with events hosted across Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The Games featured a decentralized multi-cluster format across the Italian Alps, Lombardy, and Veneto.

Originally designated ‘International Winter Sports Week', the 1924 Chamonix event was officially recognized retroactively as the I Olympic Winter Games by the IOC.

Norway is the undisputed all-time leader in Winter Olympic history, having won over 400 total medals (including 150+ gold medals).

Ski Mountaineering involves climbing mountain slopes on skis (or carrying them) followed by navigating downhill descents.

The IOC is headquartered at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in Paris in 1894, resurrecting the ancient Greek Olympic tradition in 1896.

The IOC approved adding the word ‘Communiter' (Together) in July 2021 to express solidarity during the global pandemic.

Jeremy Bujakowski, a Polish-born naturalized Indian skier, represented India in Men's Downhill at the 1964 Innsbruck Games and again in 1968.

Hailing from Manali, Himachal Pradesh, Shiva Keshavan is a 10-time Asian Luge champion and the pioneer of Indian winter sports on the international stage.

Arif Khan from Tangmarg, Jammu & Kashmir, was India's sole athlete and flagbearer at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

In Skeleton, competitors race face-down and head-first, whereas in Luge they slide on their backs and feet-first.

Nicknamed ‘The Roaring Game' and ‘Chess on Ice', curling requires sweeping the ice surface to influence the speed and trajectory of the stone.

Designed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913, the five colors on the white background represent the five populated continents of the world.

Until 1992 (Albertville), Winter and Summer Games were held in the same calendar year; the 1994 Lillehammer Games placed them on alternating two-year cycles.

Biathlon tests aerobic cardiovascular stamina in cross-country skiing punctuated by stationary shooting at targets in prone and standing positions.

Nordic Combined consists of two distinct disciplines: ski jumping followed by a cross-country skiing pursuit race.

Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjoergen won 15 Olympic medals between 2002 and 2018, the most by any athlete in Winter Games history.

Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen won 8 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze medal, dominating world biathlon for two decades.

FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski et de Snowboard) was founded in 1924 in Chamonix, managing World Cup circuits and Olympic qualification.

The IBU is the international non-governmental governing body for the sport of biathlon, headquartered in Anif near Salzburg, Austria.

WGFI oversees national championships in skiing and snowboarding in regions like Gulmarg (J&K), Solang Nallah (Himachal), and Auli (Uttarakhand).

Auli Bugyal features high-altitude ski slopes at 3,000 meters equipped with chairlifts, hosting National Winter Games championships.

Gulmarg features the Gulmarg Gondola (one of the highest cable cars in the world) and serves as the annual venue for the Khelo India Winter Games.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports launched the Khelo India Winter Games in 2020 to promote winter sports, mountaineering, and tourism in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Jammu & Kashmir has dominated the medal table with superior local skiing and snowshoeing contingents in Gulmarg.

Shaun White (the ‘Flying Tomato') is the most decorated snowboarder in history with three Olympic golds and 15 X Games gold medals.

Short track speed skating features high-speed jostling, tight turns, and elimination heats around an ice hockey-sized rink.

Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomite Alps hosted the 1956 Winter Games, the first Winter Olympics to be televised internationally.

Milano Cortina 2026 represents the IOC's modern sustainability paradigm, repurposing existing alpine arenas across Northern Italy.