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.
🇸🇪 – Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s message
After her great success in the skiathlon at the Milan/Cortina Games, Frida Karlsson received a very special congratulations that clearly made an impression on her. Among the many reactions to her Olympic title, it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s message on Instagram that caught her eye. The legendary footballer tagged the Swede to congratulate her, and she immediately reacted: “I thought to myself, ‘now we’re talking’,” she smiled.
Frida Karlsson and her compatriot Ebba Andersson, the silver medallist, even began to hope that the former football star would come and cheer them on in Val di Fiemme between now and the end of the Games. For the Olympic champion, this support from an “icon” of Swedish sport had a special resonance.
🇭🇹 – Stevenson Savart makes history in Haiti
While Mathis Desloges gave France its first ever Olympic medal in cross-country skiing in a distance event, Stevenson Savart also wrote a memorable page on Sunday in the skiathlon. The cross-country skier became the very first athlete from Haiti to compete in a Nordic discipline at the Olympic Games.
To the applause of the public, the 25-year-old cross-country skier crossed the finish line waving to the crowd, finishing his race in an honourable 64th place, 10 minutes 41 seconds and 8 tenths behind the undisputed master of the discipline, Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo .
🇸🇪 – Gold on old skis
To win Olympic gold in the skiathlon in Milan/Cortina, Frida Karlsson made a choice that was as bold as it was symbolic: in the classic event, the Swede used a pair of skis that were ten years old. This tried and tested equipment, kept for major events, enabled her to stay perfectly positioned before making the difference in skating. ” These are my favourite skis,” she told Aftonbladet.
This pair actually belongs to Linn Svahn and are the same as those used by Frida Karlsson in the 50km at last year’s world championships in Trondheim (Norway).
🇨🇦 – Cross-country skiing: a Drolet family affair
Cross-country skiing is a family affair at the Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina. Brother and sister, Jasmine and Rémi Drolet both wore Canada’s colours in Italy this weekend.
Making her first appearance at the Games, Jasmine Drolet finished 38th in the skiathlon on Saturday, while her older brother Rémi, already an Olympian in Beijing in 2022, finished 42nd in the men’s event on Sunday.
🇸🇪 – The wrath of Moa Ilar
Sweden’s Moa Ilar was disappointed to finish 14th in the skiathlon on Saturday. But beyond the sporting result, it was above all an incident after the finish line that provoked her anger.
As the cross-country skiers tried to catch their breath and get changed, several officials approached them to take selfies, a situation the Swede deemed totally inappropriate. “We’re completely exhausted and they’re taking photos of us while we’re getting changed. It’s unacceptable “, she toldExpressen, explaining that she had to turn away to stop the scene.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) reacted through its World Cup coordinator, promising a review of procedures. The international body assured that this type of behaviour had no place in the Olympic arena and that volunteers would be reminded of their role in order to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Read also
- 2026 Olympics | Diary of the Games #3: American cross-country skiers’ new secret to success
- 2026 Olympics | The Games Diary #2: The Russian cross-country skier receives encouragement from Petter Northug Jr.
- 2026 Olympics | The Games Diary #1: the surprising reason why Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo changed hotel rooms
