International Olympic Committee

The qualification systems for Alpine skiing, bobsleigh and skeleton for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 have been approved by the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The competition schedule by session for each sport has also been validated by the IOC EB.

30 November 2023 – In line with the Olympic Charter, the details of these qualification pathways have been developed respectively by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF). They have been reviewed and agreed on by the National Olympic Committee (NOC) representatives, and comply with the Qualification System Principles approved in September 2022, which secure universal representation within and equal access to qualification events.

The Alpine skiing Olympic FIS points calculation has been revised in line with the FIS qualification events, and the eligibility criteria have been strengthened to ensure that the best athletes qualify for the Games. No major changes have been made to the other disciplines compared to the Beijing 2022 qualification systems.

Milano Cortina 2026 qualification systems

With Alpine skiing, bobsleigh and skeleton, all the qualification systems for Milano Cortina 2026 have now been validated.

In October 2023, luge, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboard had their qualification systems approved by the IOC EB, with biathlon, curling, figure skating and ski mountaineering in June 2023, and ice hockey in March 2023. Short track speed skating had its qualification system revised in September 2023 following initial approval in June 2023.

All the Milano Cortina 2026 qualification systems can be found here.

Competition schedule by session

The finalisation of the competition schedule by session is a key deliverable in the preparations for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, as it sets the critical base for all the Games planning.

Its finalisation is a result of close collaboration between the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee, the International Federations, Olympic Broadcasting Services and the IOC. A set of principles has been used to determine the most suitable competition schedule for these Games: athlete experience, gender equality, weather considerations, broadcaster requests and access for the largest possible audience.

As a next step, the Milano Cortina 2026 organisers and all the Winter International Federations will work together on the competition schedule by event. The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from 6 to 22 February 2026. A total of 2,900 athletes will compete across eight sports, 16 disciplines and 116 medal events. Milano Cortina 2026 will be the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games to date, with 47 per cent female participation across all events.