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.
The Olympic battle continues for women’s Nordic combined
The dispute over the absence of women’s Nordic combined at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games continues in Val di Fiemme (Italy).
At the initiative of American Annika Malacinski, several athletes gathered in the stands at the Predazzo and Tesero venues during the men’s event, holding up signs reading “Women 2030” and “Nordic Combined = Women + Men”. Italian combined athlete Daniela Dejori relayed the initiative, which received massive support on social networks.
Combined has been an Olympic discipline since the 1924 Olympic Games, but its future is at stake : if women are not included by 2030, the IOC’s equality policy could jeopardise its continued inclusion on the programme.
Meanwhile, FIS President Johan Eliasch was in the stands alongside IOC President Kirsty Coventry. Speaking to NRK, he announced that he was “fighting for the discipline […] This must apply to both men and women. I don’t see how it couldn’t be. As far as I’m concerned, it’s inconceivable that women shouldn’t be allowed to compete.
🇫🇮 – Finnish ski jumping coach Igor Medved dismissed for drunkenness
The Finnish ski jumping team will finish the Games without its coach. The Finnish Olympic Committee has announced the dismissal of Igor Medved, who was excluded from the team in Italy for an alcohol-related offence.
“Medved went home today. This is an alcohol-related problem. We take breaches of the rules very seriously and will act swiftly in this matter,” said Janne Hänninen, head of elite sport at the Finnish Olympic Committee, in a statement.
The coach, who has been in post since June 2024, apologised:“I made a mistake and I am deeply sorry. I would like to apologise to the entire Finnish team, the athletes and the fans. For the remainder of the Games, Lasse Moilanen will be in charge of the national team on an interim basis.
🇧🇷 – Audience success for ski jumping… in Brazil
The men’s ski jumping competition at the Olympic Winter Games broke audience records in Brazil. The broadcast on Globo attracted an average of almost 9 million viewers, making this the most-watched winter competition in the country’s history.
On the springboard, Germany’s Philipp Raimund took gold, ahead of Poland’s Kacper Tomasiak. Bronze was shared between Japan’s Ren Nikaido and Switzerland’s Gregor Deschwanden.
Valentin Foubert put in the best ever performance by a Frenchman at the Olympic Games with a fine fifth place.
🇩🇪 – Vanessa Voigt withdraws from the networks after finishing fourth in the individual event
Biathlete Vanessa Voigt has announced that she is taking a break from social media following criticism of her skiing and shooting times at the Olympic Games. “I’ll see you after the Olympics. I’m going to take a break here – I’m concentrating on other things. The people who really matter know how to contact me,” wrote the 28-year-old on Instagram on Wednesday evening.
The German had finished fourth in the individual event with a perfect shot. After finishing third in the relay, she missed out on another bronze medal by just 12.9 seconds. She had shot particularly slowly on the final run-up to the shooting range to ensure a clear round, but in the end only achieved 74th place out of 90 participants.
🇸🇪 – Zlatan asks Frida Karlsson if she can score a hat-trick
Swedish cross-country skier Frida Karlsson shone again on Thursday in the individual skate event at these Olympic Games. As with her victory in the skiathlon, a Swedish sports legend congratulated her on social media. It’s former footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic who is closely following the performances of the Scandinavian cross-country team.
In his story, the former striker praised the skier’s performance and asked the question “ Hattrick? Already a double Olympic champion, she could become a triple gold medallist with the team event this Saturday lunchtime. Later, on the last day of the Olympics, it is possible that she will complete the grand slam in the distance events with the 50km.
Read also
- Games Diary #1: the surprising reason why Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo changed hotel rooms
- Games Diary #2: The Russian cross-country skier receives encouragement from Petter Northug Jr.
- Games Diary #3: American cross-country skiers’ new secret to success
- Games Diary #4: Zlatan Ibrahimovic salutes the skiathlon queen
- Games Diary #5: Dorothea Wierer gives her support to Rebecca Passler, “a wonderful person”.
- Games Diary #6: car, flat, cryptocurrencies… Poland falls for its medallists
- Olympics 2026 | The Games Diary #7: Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein are the talk of the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
