On February 6, 2026, the Winter Olympic Games will begin in Milan (Lombardy) and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Veneto). Here at We the Italians, our Italian Sport columns for December and January will be dedicated to this event: in December 2025 we will look back at the past, and in January 2026 we will try to understand which athletes might become the protagonists of this edition of the Winter Olympics.
Italy has already hosted the event twice: in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956 and in Turin in 2006. Two editions far apart in time, different in context, atmosphere, and ambitions, yet linked by a common thread: Italy’s ability to transform sports into an event rich with emotion. And above all, its ability to produce champions who have shaped Olympic history.
The first Italian edition, in January 1956, was a turning point for the country. Cortina, the most famous Italian resort in the Dolomites, brought a major international event to Italy at a moment when the nation was building its postwar identity. It was the first Winter Olympics broadcast on television through Eurovision - a technological leap that brought millions of people closer to snow sports. On the sports side, Cortina ’56 is remembered above all for Eugenio Monti, the undisputed star of bobsleigh, destined to become an icon not only for his medals but for his fair play. In Cortina he won two silvers, but his legend would grow in the following years: two golds and two bronzes overall, and the famous episode of altruism in 1964, when he lent a crucial part of his sled to his British rivals. For this gesture he received the first Pierre de Coubertin medal, a symbol of the true Olympic spirit.
Fifty years later, Turin 2006 presented a completely different image: a modern, technological event, celebrated for its organizational quality and cultural impact. The competitions were held in Turin and across the mountains of Piedmont and the Susa Valley, a region that witnessed achievements that remain etched in collective memory. Italy closed those Games with excellent results, led by two stars: Armin Zöggeler, gold medalist in luge and the only athlete in the world to win six consecutive Olympic medals in the same discipline, and Enrico Fabris, double gold medalist in speed skating and key member of the team pursuit squad. Turin also showcased the immense talent of Carolina Kostner, then very young, who would go on to become the most successful figure skater in Italian history.
But Italy’s history at the Winter Olympics is filled with a long series of accomplishments in skiing, skating, bobsleigh, skeleton, and biathlon. Some Italian athletes have become true monuments of winter sports. Gustav Thöni, a symbol of the 1970s, won one gold (slalom in 1972) and two silvers (1976) at the Olympics, along with four World Cup titles. Thöni paved the way for a generation of skiers who shaped the identity of all Italian skiing.
Deborah Compagnoni is likely the greatest Italian skier of all time. Three Olympic gold medals (super-G in 1992, giant slalom in 1994 and 1998) and one silver. Grace on the edge of the snow and the spirit of a warrior: her trilogy of gold is unique in the history of Italian skiing. And then Alberto Tomba, the name that best embodied the popularity of the sport: the charisma of a global star and extraordinary results. Across the three editions he competed in, he won three Olympic golds (slalom 1988, giant slalom 1988, and giant slalom 1992) and two silvers. “Tomba la Bomba” brought skiing into global prime time, becoming a cultural phenomenon, not just a sporting one. Also noteworthy are Manuela Di Centa and Isolde Kostner: the former, a major figure in cross-country skiing, won a bronze at Salt Lake City 2002; the latter, Isolde, earned one silver and two bronzes in alpine skiing, continuing Compagnoni’s legacy.
But the absolute Italian queen of the Winter Olympics is Arianna Fontana, the most decorated Italian athlete ever at the Winter Games: 11 medals between 2006 and 2022 in short track. Her competitive longevity and her ability to win in often chaotic tactical situations make her a true global legend. In speed skating, the male figure symbolizing Italy’s success is Enrico Fabris, the undisputed protagonist of Turin 2006 with two golds and a bronze in the 5,000 meters. His victories turned, for a few weeks, a little-known discipline into a national passion, showcasing the strength of Italy’s ice-skating tradition.
Still on skates, but in ice dance, few pairs in the world have left such a deep mark as Maurizio Margaglio and Barbara Fusar Poli. World champions in 2001, European champions and Olympic bronze medalists in 2002, they opened a new path for Italian figure skating, bringing elegance, theatricality, and a technical level that had no precedent at the time.
Fast forward to the present - once again, women have raised the Italian flag high in the world of winter sports. In giant slalom and super-G, Federica Brignone shines as the most successful Italian skier ever in the World Cup: the first Italian woman to win the overall crystal globe in 2020, victorious also in the giant slalom and combined standings, and enriched by two Olympic medals and three World Championship podiums, including gold in the combined at the 2023 Worlds. Next to her in the modern pantheon is Sofia Goggia, the undisputed queen of downhill. Her Olympic gold in 2018 and silver in 2022 speak of a champion capable of dominating the specialty for years, with four downhill World Cups placing her in an almost unique category. Her victories, often built on the edge of risk, have turned every race into an event.
In biathlon, a discipline that has become central for Italy in recent years, the leading figure is Dorothea Wierer. Her two consecutive overall World Cups, four world titles, and three Olympic medals testify to her decade-long international dominance. Together, these athletes form a gallery of successes that continues to define Italy’s identity in winter sports: a heritage of talent, courage, and consistency that spans different disciplines yet tells a single story, that of a country capable of excelling on snow and ice.
The arrival of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Games will add a new chapter. And once again, Italy will find itself under the world’s spotlight, proud of a history that begins on the peaks of Cortina, passes through Turin, and continues to grow - snow after snow, medal after medal.
