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.
🇮🇹 – Dorothea Wierer in support of Rebecca Passler
On Sunday, after becoming Olympic runner-up in the mixed biathlon relay in Antholz (Italy), Dorothea Wierer spoke to the press about the positive doping test triggered by her compatriot Rebecca Passler at the end of January out of competition.
The Italian biathlon diva was quoted by NRK as saying that she had sent a message of support to her compatriot “because I want to be there for her at this difficult time”. She is a wonderful person and it was a shock at first,” she continued. We know her and know that she is a strong girl.”
Now in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the case is due to be heard on Tuesday, when the Lausanne court will rule on the appeal lodged by Rebecca Passler.
🇳🇴 – Kristine Stavaas Skistad with blood on her face on the eve of the sprint classic
On Monday morning, the cross-country skiers competing in Tuesday’s classic sprint at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games were training on the track that will be used for the competition. A session that ended badly for Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad, who fell and suffered a bloody nose in a video captured by SVT.
“Together with Ingrid Bergane Aabrekk, they did an intense training session and tested the descent to the finish line. In the last bend before the finish, Aabrekk fell and Skistad collided directly with her. It was a violent fall”, said Fredrik Aukland, a consultant for NRK who was present at the scene of the crash.
Sjur Ole Svarstad believes that this caper “will have little impact” on the race scheduled for Tuesday , as the two cross-country skiers were able to get back up and “make several more passes” around the track. ” That allowed them to get over their apprehension”, he concluded.
🇫🇷 – Cloé Pagnier’s prestigious selfie
During her training session on Monday, French cross-country skier Cloé Pagnier crossed paths with legends Frida Karlsson, Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo and Emil Iversen. It was an opportunity for the Frenchwoman to take a selfie with her idols!
🇸🇮 – Nika Prevc dried her tears after winning silver in the small hill event
On Saturday evening, at the close of the first day of the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, Slovenia’s Nika Prevc suffered a huge disappointment when she failed to win the gold medal on the small hill. Beaten by 1.1 points by Norway’s Anna Odine Stroem, she remained prostrate in the finish area for a long time before bursting into tears in the arms of her parents.
“I still need a little time to analyse everything and understand what happened. I’m very happy with this first medal,” she told RTV Slovenija on Sunday. There was a lot of pressure, and I didn’t handle it in the best way. I’m relieved that my first Olympic competition is behind me. The experience is invaluable and now I’m just going to try and enjoy the Olympic Games.
I’m very proud of this medal, but I wanted the gold,” she finished. It’s mine and irreplaceable. It means so much to me. I’ve wanted it since I was a little girl. Precisely because of that desire, it gives me a great boost for the future and for making further progress. In spite of everything, I need to take a more relaxed approach to what’s to come.
🇫🇮 – Iivo Niskanen had an ordeal during the skiathlon
On Sunday, while Isérois’ Mathis Desloges was living his Olympic dream by winning silver in the skiathlon in Tesero (Italy), Finland’s Iivo Niskanen, seventeenth at the finish, was a disappointment.
Dropped from the leading group in the classic style, where he usually makes the difference, he didn’t have any influence on the race. “I set off with the idea of setting the pace in the classics. Instead, I had to content myself with trying to stay in the group”, he told Yle.
Despite this, the 34-year-old champion is not worried about the fact that his main event of the Olympic fortnight, the 50km, will take place on Saturday 21 February. ” It will be a new day,” he says in conclusion.
Nordic Combined: the first training session took place on the small hill
Early on Monday morning, the Nordic combined athletes competing in the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games took part in their first jump training session on the small hill in Predazzo (Italy).
Norway’s Einar Luraas Oftebro (101 metres) and Austria’s Thomas Rettenegger (101.5 and 104.5 metres) dominated the three heats. For the French team, Marco Heinis put in some fine performances, finishing sixteenth (95.5 metres), sixth (101.5 metres) and eleventh (103 metres).
Laurent Muhlethaler (95, 96.5 and 99 metres) was around the top 20, while Maël Tyrode (93, 93 and 96.5 metres) was around the top 25.
Full results
NCBMNHTRAIN-TRNO0100SJ-__C73A_1.0- Games Diary #4: Zlatan Ibrahimovic salutes the skiathlon queen
- Games Diary #3: American cross-country skiers’ new secret to success
- Games Diary #2: The Russian cross-country skier receives encouragement from Petter Northug Jr.
- Games Diary #1: the surprising reason why Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo changed hotel rooms
