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.
🎿 “We will soon reach a point where the ski jump jury will become superfluous”.
Already used to count laps in figure skating or to assess the scores of freestyle snowboarders at the X-Games, will artificial intelligence be introduced into ski jumping? The International Ski Federation has not yet taken a position on the subject, but the IOC has announced that it is considering it. The CEO of Synerise, a Polish company in the AI sector, is a firm believer. ” It may seem radical, but I believe that we will soon reach a point where the ski jumping jury will become superfluous”, Jaroslaw Krolewski told Gazeta Krakowska.
The businessman explains his premise: “The video system itself is already capable of easily checking a competitor and his style using artificial intelligence. I think it’s quite simple to do, particularly by analysing the wind, the progress of the flight and so on. This can be done with such precision that the competition will simply be fairer and the score will no longer be subject to human error. Therefore, as I said, I think it’s only a matter of time before maintaining a jury in its current configuration becomes pointless.”
Judges have already been replaced by technology in tennis, where only the French Open retains linesmen at major tournaments. Elsewhere, automated refereeing has replaced the human touch.
🔕 Bells are not welcome at Olympic venues
Long gone are the days of the cross-country skiing World Cup, with its chainsaws, bells and Jura flags. For the Olympic Games, the atmosphere is much more subdued. While Alpine skiing is particularly affected by the phenomenon, with a bland atmosphere in Bormio (for the men) and Cortina d’Ampezzo (for the women), Nordic skiing is also affected by the phenomenon.
There is a long list of bans on Olympic venues: flags other than those of the country represented, deckchairs, drums, flagpoles and bells. These are kept in lockers and not allowed into the competition area. As Didier Jeanmonnot, father of the Olympic runner-up in the individual biathlon, told RMC: “We had brought a big bell from home, but we saw that it wasn’t allowed at the entrance. Given the price of the bell, we didn’t even try.
Except that when he was there, the Frenchman bought a small approved bell, at the prohibitive price of €30. What’s worse is that he’s not sure he’ll be able to take it again for the sprint (Saturday, 2.45 p.m.) or the pursuit (Sunday, 2.45 p.m.), as 20 minutes points out: “If you bought it on another day or at another venue, it might not pass the test. This is not due to any direct communication from the IOC, but rather to the strict application of the rules on prohibited items by the local organisers. So far, the IOC has not reacted to this very Swiss controversy, but it has gained momentum.”
🇷🇺 Russians cause confusion in cross-country ski stands
Although Saveliy Korostelev had a complicated individual skate (15th), the Russian cross-country skier competing under a neutral banner was able to count on the support of his compatriots in the stands. According to aYle journalist present at the event, around fifty compatriots, like him, from Tartarstan (a region in the west of the country) were seated in the stands. But their presence did not go unnoticed.
Alerted by disgruntled American fans, security came and confiscated Tatar flags (green, white and red), while preventing journalists from filming the scene. However, a blue and red flag bearing the image of the cross-country skier was allowed to fly, with the following words in English: “Saveliy Korostelev: the road to gold starts now, we believe in victory. Olympic Games 2026”.
🇺🇸 The beginner’s mistake by John Steel Hagenbuch
On his Olympic debut, American cross-country skier John Steel Hagenbuch got off to the wrong start in the individual skate race. At the start, he took the wrong course and was forced to turn back. These images were captured in slow motion by the international production team. In 14th place at the finish, he finished 1’05 behind the leaders, but only 9 seconds from the top 10.
I was so calm, relaxed and focused on the moment that I didn’t think about anything. I got my bearings wrong and that woke me up. I probably lost 15 or 20 seconds,” he toldAftonbladet. It was a stupid mistake, but that’s human. Above all, I’m glad I kept on racing and persevered.
💸 Medals worth their weight in gold
In addition to their symbolic value, Olympic medals also have a monetary value. And the sharp rise in the price of precious metals (gold, silver, copper) since the 2022 edition in Beijing (China) has inevitably had an impact on the cost of the medals handed out in Milan/Cortina.
Oxford Economics has estimated the absolute value of a gold medal awarded at the 2026 Olympics at €1,634, compared with €598 four years earlier (+170%). The same is true of silver medals, which have risen from €297 to €846 (+187%). Bronze has also risen, but remains much less valuable: €3.12 in 2022, €4.32 in 2026 (+39%). ” Safe-haven buying has been reinforced by heightened geopolitical uncertainty, unpredictable public policies and concerns about the fiscal sustainability of advanced economies,” comments the consultancy.
Each medal awarded at the Italian Games weighed around 500 grams. The charms awarded to the Olympic champions are in fact made up of just 6 grams of gold, the rest being silver. The silver medals are made entirely of silver. Bronze medals are made mostly of copper.
- Games Diary #8: Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s challenge, drunkenness and protest in Milan/Cortina
- The Games Diary #7: Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein are the talk of the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
- Games Diary #6: car, flat, cryptocurrencies… Poland falls for its medallists
- Games Diary #5: Dorothea Wierer gives her support to Rebecca Passler, “a wonderful person”.
- 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
