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Rising stars, returning legends: 10 events to look out for at the Milan-Cortina Games

Published: 05 Feb. 2026, 16:04 Updated: 05 Feb. 2026, 19:26

Snow falls behind an Olympic rings installation set up in a public square in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb. 4. [NEWS1]

With the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicking off in Italy on Friday, Team Korea is poised for a packed schedule that features short-track speed skating, snowboarding and other icy events alongside Olympic veterans and rising contenders.

Around 2,900 athletes from roughly 90 countries will compete across eight sports and 16 disciplines, with a total of 116 gold medals at stake.

Team Korea sent 71 athletes and set a target of three gold medals and a top-10 finish in the overall standings.

JTBC, an affiliate of the JoongAng Ilbo and the exclusive Korean broadcaster for the 2026 Olympics, selected 10 events featuring Korean athletes and global stars.

1. Korea to face Britain in curling mixed doubles
[10:35 p.m. on Feb. 6 in Korea]

Kim Seon-yeong, left, and Jeong Yeong-seok of Korea’s curling mixed doubles team train at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong, on Jan. 7. [NEWS1]

Kim Seon-young and Jeong Yeong-seok will represent Korea in the country’s first Olympic appearance in curling mixed doubles.

Teams play nine round robin matches, with the top four advancing to the semifinals. In previous competitions using the same format, teams with six wins have typically qualified, while five-win teams have advanced in some cases.

Britain enters the Games after finishing second at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.

2. Women’s alpine skiing downhill final
[7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Korea]

Lindsey Vonn of the United States approaches the finish area after crashing, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 30. [AP/YONHAP]

Lindsey Vonn of the United States, 41, will be returning to the Games after coming out of retirement.

Initially retired in 2019, Vonn rejoined the World Cup circuit for the 2024-25 season and secured a spot at the Olympics. She will be competing at the 2026 Games on the back of two World Cup wins this season.

3. Short track speed skating mixed team final
[6:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 in Korea]

Korean short track speed skaters train at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 4. [YONHAP]

This event features mixed teams of male and female skaters racing together.

Team Korea won gold in the third leg of the 2025-26 ISU World Tour in November. Canada, China and the Netherlands are some of the contenders Korea will be facing.

Teams skate 18 laps, or 2,000 meters (6,561 feet), in a women-women-men-men sequence, with a male skater completing the final leg.

4. Women’s snowboarding halfpipe final
[3:30 a.m. on Feb. 13 in Korea]

Snowboarder Choi Ga-on [CJ]

Forbes named high school student Choi Ga-on as a top gold medal contender in the event.
Choi will make her Olympic debut this year on the back of three wins in the 2025-26 FIS Snowboard World Cup season.

Her main rival is Chloe Kim of the United States, who is on a quest to secure her third consecutive Olympic gold medal.

5. Men’s figure skating free skate
[3 a.m. on Feb. 14 in Korea]

Gold medallist Ilia Malinin of the United States celebrates during the men's grand prix final medal ceremony at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Dec. 6, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Ilia Malinin of the United States, who landed the world’s first quadruple Axel in an official competition in September 2022, enters as a favorite to win a gold medal.

He has said he may attempt a quintuple jump at the Games.

From Team Korea, Cha Jun-hwan will compete in his third consecutive Olympics after placing 15th at PyeongChang in 2018 and fifth at Beijing in 2022.

This year's Games also features Yuma Kagiyama of Japan, the silver medalist at the 2022 Olympics, and Adam Siao Him Fa of France, the reigning European champion.

6. Men’s skeleton final
[3:30 a.m. on Feb. 14 in Korea]

Jung Seung-gi of Korea competes during the IBSF Skeleton World Cup stop in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Jan. 9. [EPA/YONHAP]

Jeong Seung-gi, once viewed as the successor to Olympic champion Yun Sung-bin, returned to action after suffering temporary paralysis in his lower body.

He completed rehabilitation in about one year and finished third overall in the World Cup standings this season. While his once explosive starts slowed, his refined driving technique emerged as a new strength.

He said he aims to “complete a miracle with a gold medal.”

Jeong will be competing against strong contenders, including World No. 1 Matt Weston of Britain.

7. Men’s short track 1,500-meter final
[4:15 a.m. on Feb. 15 in Korea]

Short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon. left, celebrates with Lim Hyo-jun after finishing the men's 500-meter race at Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Feb. 22, 2018. [NEWS1]

The men's 1,500-meter races will feature Korea-born Chinese skater Lin Xiaojun, who won a gold medal at the 2018 Olympics under the Korean name Lim Hyo-jun.

Team Korea has Hwang Dae-heon, who claimed gold in the 1,500-meter race in Beijing in 2022.

Lin and Hwang will be competing against each other at the Olympics for the first time, with the Games offering Lin a chance to win his first Olympic medal for China.

8. Women’s freestyle skiing big air final
[3:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 in Korea]

Eileen Gu of China competes during the women's slopestyle qualification at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb. 14, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. [AP/YONHAP]

Eileen Gu, who won gold in both big air and halfpipe at the Beijing Olympics, is competing in not only those two disciplines but also in slopestyle.

She has already set the World Cup record with 20 career wins. Born and raised in the United States to a Chinese mother and an American father, she has represented China on the international stage.

Italy’s rising star Flora Tabanelli stands as her main challenger in big air.

9. Women’s short track 1,500-meter final
[4:15 a.m. on Feb. 21 in Korea]

Short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong trains at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 3. [NEWS1]

Choi Min-jeong is a favorite on Team Korea to medal in the women's short-track speed skating star Choi already has three Olympic gold medals from the previous Games — two from PyeongChang in 2018 and one from Beijing in 2022 — as well as multiple medals from other competitions.

Team Korea's Kim Gil-li is another skater to watch — she enters the competition with a gold medal from the 1,500-meter race at the 2025-26 ISU Short Track World Tour.

Courtney Sarault of Canada could prove to be a major competitor, as she has consistently pressured Korean skaters.

10. Men’s ice hockey final
[10:10 p.m. on Feb. 22 in Korea]

France's men hockey players take part in a training session on Feb. 3 ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. [AP/YONHAP]

For the first time in 12 years, NHL players will compete at the Olympics, setting up a full-scale clash of global stars.

Canada enters as the top favorite with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby. The United States counters with Auston Matthews and brothers Quinn and Jack Hughes.

Defending champion Finland and Sweden are also among the contenders. Twelve teams will compete across three groups.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE, SUNG HO-JUN [[email protected]]