50 Things You Didn’t Know About the Olympics
This winter, Northern Italy transforms into a winter wonderland as the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games begin. Thousands of the world’s elite athletes – nearly 3,000 for the Winter Games alone – will descend upon the Italian Alps to compete in this storied tradition.
From the historic Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro) in Milan to the breathtaking slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, this isn’t just another Winter Olympics. For the first time, the Games will span more than 13,000 miles, bringing the action across the country – from iconic mountain peaks to vibrant city centers.
Whether you’re a die-hard hockey fan or ready to marvel at the high-speed drama of the downhill slopes, get ready to witness the magic of the Games across Italy.
Go Team USA!
In This Article
The United States Olympic Team by the Numbers
1. The 2026 Team USA is made up of 232 athletes.
2. Team USA consists of 117 men and 115 women, making it nearly even.
3. The 2026 Games mark one of Team USA’s largest delegations in history.
4. 32 different states (plus Washington, D.C.) are represented in this year’s games.
5. Colorado leads the pack with 30 athletes competing for Team USA.
6. The United States holds the record for the most Olympic medals of all time, with more than 3,000 won across the Summer and Winter Games.
7. The United States has won a total of 330 medals in the history of the Winter Olympics (1924 – 2022) – 114 gold, 121 silver and 95 bronze.
8. Apolo Anton Ohno is the most decorated Winter Olympian with 8 medals.
9. The United States flag bearers are speedskater Erin Jackson and bobsledder Frank Del Duca.
10. While Team USA has the most Olympic medals of all time, we tend to dominate in the summer while other countries, particularly Nordic nations, excel in the winter.
11. Norway dominated the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, winning 37 medals – 16 of which were gold. Norway is predicted to remain the “Gold Standard” in the 2026 Games.
All-American Medalists
12. Team USA has finished top of the medal table in 16 of the 28 Summer Olympics it has attended.
13. Overall, the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games have fewer participants than the Summer Games.
14. At the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Team USA won 10 gold medals, its largest number at a single Winter Games, and is hoping to top that total this year.
15. The 2010 performance marked the second time the U.S. led the overall medal count, following the 1932 Lake Placid Games.
16. The United States has hosted the Olympics eight times.
17. The United States has hosted the Winter Games four times: 1932 (Lake Placid), 1960 (Squaw Valley, near Lake Tahoe), 1980 (Lake Placid) and 2002 (Salt Lake City).
18. The United States has hosted the Summer Games four times: 1904 (St. Louis), 1932 (Los Angeles), 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1996 (Atlanta).
19. In 2028 (Los Angeles, Summer) and 2034 (Salt Lake City, Winter), the United States is scheduled to host its ninth and tenth games.
20. Can’t make it to Milano-Cortina? That’s okay! Home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and its flagship U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, Colorado Springs is Olympic City USA.
More to Enjoy in Milano
21. The 2026 games are the 25th Winter Olympic Games. This will be the fourth Games held in Italy.
22. The Games will span over 22,000 square kilometers, which is just over 13,670 miles for us Americans!
23. The 2026 Winter Games are the first Winter Olympics ot be hosted by two cities – Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
24. The region is known as a winter sports destination because of its close proximity to the Alps, and events will take place across eight locations in Northern Italy.
25. For the first time, there will be two separate Olympic flame cauldrons – one in Milan and another in downtown Cortina.
26. Approximately 2,900 athletes from 90 different countries will compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
27. Milano Cortina 2026 will include an IOC Refugee Olympic Team, a tradition that began at the Rio 2016 Games. These athletes will compete under the Olympic flag, representing the millions of displaced people worldwide.
28. The Winter Olympics pack a lot into just 17 days! Athletes will compete in 15 different sports and 116 medal events.
29. The mascot for the 2026 Games is a white stoat named Tina. A brown stoat named Milo is the mascot for the upcoming Paralympic Games. They are both accompanied by six snowdrop flowers named “The Flo,” which will symbolize rebirth and hope.
30. A stoat is a small weasel-like animal that is a cross between a weasel and an otter.
The Most Evenly Matched Games
31. Roughly 47% of the participants will be women, making this the most balanced Winter Games to date.
32. A record 53.4% of all medal events will involve women athletes.
33. Women will also compete in 50 specific women’s events and 12 mixed events – the most ever!
34. Women will make their debut in the Large Hill Ski Jumping competition for the first time in 2026.
35. Six sets of siblings are competing at this year’s Olympics, including twin sisters Sarah and Taylor Anderson, who are competing in curling.
36. More than 130,000 people from 170+ countries applied for volunteer positions.
37. Approximately 18,000 volunteers will lend a hand to make the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games possible.
Sports of All Sorts
38. The 2026 games will introduce a new sport – ski mountaineering – featuring men’s sprint, women’s sprint and a mixed relay. SkiMo, as it is often called, is the first new sport added to the Winter Games since skeleton in 2002.
39. Another new event is Dual Moguls, a twist on Freestyle Skiing where competitors race side-by-side in a head-to-head bracket.
40. In 2022, Erin Jackson, a speed skater and one of Team USA’s flag bearers, became the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
41. Norwich, VT, is a popular spot for producing Olympians. This tiny town of just 3,600 has produced 11 Olympians and has sent an athlete to all but one of the Winter Games since 1984. Two Olympic skiers – Jeff Hastings and Mike Holland – work as volunteer instructors at Skiway in Norwich.
42. Lake Placid, NY, is a major hub for U.S. biathlon. It was the training ground for Lowell Bailey, who set a national record with an 8th-place finish at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Deedra Irwin later broke that record at the 2022 Beijing Games, finishing 7th. Irwin herself was introduced to the sport through the U.S. Biathlon talent ID camp in Lake Placid.
43. Known as “Ski Town, USA,” Steamboat Springs, CO, has sent more than 100 athletes to the Winter Olympics, more than any other town in the country.
44. The high-speed adrenaline rush of luge is hard to come by – there are only 17 luge tracks in the world and only four in the United States. The Muskegon Winter Sports Complex in Muskegon, MI, is the only Kunstbahn (artificial) track in the country and is made from natural ice rather than refrigerated pipes.
Going for Gold: The 2026 Paralympic Games
45. The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games begin on March 6 and feature 6 sports across 79 medal events.
46. The 2026 Games mark 50 years of Winter Paralympic history. The very first Winter Paralympics were held in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
47. 600 athletes from around the world will participate in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
48. The six Paralympic sports are: Para Alpine Skiing, Para Biathlon, Para Cross-Country Skiing, Para Ice Hockey, Para Snowboard and Wheelchair Curling.
49. Team USA’s Oksana Masters is currently the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian. She won seven medals in seven events at teh 2022 Games and is looking to add to her career total of 14 Winter medals this year.
50. Team USA is the “Gold Standard” in Para Ice Hockey, having won four consecutive Paralympic gold medals.
