2026 Winter Olympics in Italy

The XXV Winter Olympic Games are being held in sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy, starting with the opening ceremony on Friday, February 6, and lasting until February 22. From ice hockey (having a cultural moment of its own) to newer competitions like ski mountaineering, the games span the full breadth of the Winter Olympics.

Follow along here for all of Vox’s news and explainers about the Games.

• Think like an Olympian
• The surprising science of why ice is so slippery
• How ski warfare created biathlon
• How Olympic figure skating is scored
• The science of choking under pressure — and how to avoid it