In this section, you’ll find a wealth of original information gleaned throughout the day, live from the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina: behind the scenes, little sayings, details that slip under the radar… In short, everything that makes the Olympic event come alive as closely as possible, beyond the results.
Cross-country skiing legend wishes Korostelev luck
On Thursday, Russian skier Saveliy Korostelev – one of the two authorised to take part in the Milan/Cortina Games under neutral status – posted a message on Instagram. His photo was accompanied by the caption: “The last day before the opening”.
Among those commenting was Norwegian legend Petter Northug Jr. The Scandinavian wished the young man“Good Luck”. An encouragement that did not escape the young man. The 22-year-old cross-country skier responded with emojis.
In Austria, the Olympic Games are a family affair
Some of the Austrian athletes who will be taking part in the Olympic Games will bring back memories for the older generation. Not necessarily because of their physique or their performance, but because of their name.
Indeed, several of them are daughters or sons of. This is the case of Teresa Stadlober, for whom the Olympics are a family affair: her father, former athlete Alois Stadlober, is in charge of cross-country skiing at the Austrian Ski Federation, her mother Roswitha Stadlober – who practised alpine skiing at a high level – is President of the Federation, and her brother Luis will be at the microphone on the Austrian channel ORF as a consultant.
Among the biathletes, Simon Eder follows in the footsteps of his father Alfred Eder, who is none other than the joint holder of the Austrian record for the number of appearances at the Olympic Winter Games , with six caps.
Anna Gandler also dreams of competing with her father. At the Nagano Olympics in 1998, Markus Gandler won a silver medal in cross-country skiing. Almost thirty years later, the 25-year-old skier is dreaming of adding to her family’s record.
Finally, there are fraternities, like the Claude brothers in France. In Austria, the Rettenegger brothers will have the privilege of competing in the Nordic combined events together. There’s no doubt that Stefan and Thomas won’t be there to make up the numbers. The younger of the two obviously thinks it’s “great” to be able to aim for the medals together.
Our selection of outfits for small winter sports countries
Brazil
Let the Games Begin.
Moncler unveils Team Brazil’s official Olympic Opening Ceremony uniforms. Sport and style converge in looks co-designed with renowned Brazilian designer Oskar Metsavaht, whose personal experience in winter sports fuses seamlessly with Brazil’s creative… pic.twitter.com/ZPpIvBMkHf– Moncler (@Moncler) February 6, 2026
Haiti
🎴Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean came up with these spectacular outfits for the opening ceremony. 🔥
Richardson Viano (slalom) and Stevenson Savart (cross-country skiing) will represent Haiti in Milan Cortina. #PlatoaPiwo #haitiandesign. pic.twitter.com/JVRGiOnOnh– MEDIA PL@TOA🎤🎧 (@MEDIAPLATOA) February 6, 2026
Mongolia
Photos of Winter Olympics
of athletes from different countries around the world
The Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo start on 6 February
The selection includes not only ceremonial outfits, but also some sportswear spécifiques♥️ pic.twitter.com/NHhl5Fwl0I– Bounty (@JoelTarnawski) February 5, 2026
Olga Zaitseva to boycott competitions without Russians
Olga Zaitseva is a double Olympic relay champion, but the former Russian biathlete is not going to be following the events in her discipline at the Milan/Cortina Games. She explained why to sports.ru: she simply won’t be in front of her television set when her compatriots aren’t competing. “But where they are, of course, I’ll be watching them, cheering them on and supporting them. So she shouldn’t boycott cross-country skiing.
In the article, Olga Zaitseva regrets the absence of Russia – as a reminder, only thirteen Russian athletes are taking part under a neutral banner: “ Personally, the absence of the Russians detracts from the interest in the Milan Olympic Games. If our athletes were all there, it would be much more interesting, everyone knows that. The Russians haven’t taken part in competitions for several years, and I don’t really follow international competitions any more. So we’ll see how things go at the Olympics,” declared the former biathlete.
Nikaido not coming to Italy for second place
A taste of victory has made Japan’s Ren Nikaido even hungrier. The third-placed ski-jumper in the World Cup rankings behind his compatriot Ryoyu Kobayashi and the great Domen Prevc, is hoping to match his performance in Innsbruck (Austria). “I’m aiming for gold, but the most important thing for me is to enjoy the Olympic atmosphere. I want to live these Games to the full,” he stressed.
The 24-year-old jumper felt very comfortable during the training sessions on the Predazzo ski jump. He finished 6th, 16th and 7th in these trial jumps. Enough to make him want to win. “The areas for improvement are now very clear. I can’t wait to see what jumps I can do. I want to do some breathtaking jumps”, he told Skijumping.pl.
A Finnish specialist is not very confident about his country’s chances
Santtu Silvennoinen is a journalist for Iltalehti and , along with his colleagues, has analysed the Finns’ potential medal chances in cross-country skiing. Four years ago, Finland came home with six cross-country skiing medals. This year, that’s unlikely to be the case. The editorial team is banking on just one to three medals .
For her, there is only one real favourite: Iivo Niskanen. A title in the premier 50km event is a “realistic objective”.
Kerttu Niskanen, if she is in top form, could also consider a place on the podium. But this season, she has been unable to trouble Sweden’s Ebba Andersson, Frida Karlsson and Astrid Slind.
One of the main reasons for their pessimism is to be found in the difficult programme in Val di Fiemme, which is less suited to the Finns as the individual starts and relays are contested in freestyle.
