Winter Olympics 2026: Your Complete Guide to Watching Every Event from Milano-Cortina
The 2026 Winter Olympics have arrived in Italy, with the picturesque venues of Milano-Cortina preparing to host the world's premier snow and ice sports festival. This quadrennial spectacle promises thrilling competition across numerous disciplines, with British athletes aiming to improve upon their previous medal tally. The last Winter Games in Beijing saw Team GB secure just two medals, both in curling events, with Eve Muirhead leading the women's team to gold and Bruce Mouat guiding the men's team to silver. Norway dominated the overall medal table with sixteen gold medals, followed by Germany, the United States, and host nation China.
British Medal Prospects and Event Schedule
Expectations are significantly higher for British success at these Games, with UK Sport establishing an ambitious target of four to eight medals across multiple sports. While curling remains a strong discipline, hopes extend to freestyle skiing, snowboarding, and ice dance competitions where British athletes have shown considerable potential in recent seasons. The full event schedule reveals that Milano Cortina 2026 will commence on 4th February, with the opening ceremony following two days later on 6th February. The Games will conclude with the closing ceremony on 22nd February, featuring 116 medal events across nineteen action-packed days.
The competitions are organised across four primary geographical zones within Italy. Milano will host the ceremonies alongside sports including ice hockey, speed skating, and figure skating. Valtellina becomes the venue for freestyle skiing and snowboard events, while Cortina welcomes women's Alpine skiing alongside ice sports such as curling, skeleton, and luge. Val di Fiemme completes the quartet, providing the stage for ski jumping and cross-country skiing competitions.
Comprehensive UK Broadcasting Coverage
Viewers across the United Kingdom and Ireland can access extensive coverage through multiple platforms, ensuring no moment of Olympic action is missed. TNT Sports and the streaming service discovery+ will provide comprehensive access to more than 850 hours of live sport across every venue and medal event. Subscription packages begin at £3.99 monthly in the UK and €4.99 monthly in Ireland through discovery+, which includes access to TNT Sports 2 and additional live event feeds.
Daily coverage will follow a structured schedule, with live competition broadcasting from 9am until 10pm. An hour-long studio preview show will commence at 8am each morning, analysing the day's upcoming events, while an end-of-day round-up programme will summarise the sporting action once competitions conclude. The commentary and punditry team features an impressive roster of former Olympians, including skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams, two-time Olympian snowboarder Aimee Fuller, alpine skiers Ed Drake and Charlie Guest, bobsleigh pilot Lamin Deen, and curling bronze medallist Vicki Chalmers.
Platform-Specific Viewing Information
Sky TV: Access to TNT Sports via discovery+ depends on subscription type. Sky TV customers can activate discovery+ Entertainment without additional charges to their current subscription, providing complete Olympic coverage.
Virgin Media UK: Viewers can watch on TNT Sports, with Virgin Media Entertainment customers accessing coverage through two linear pop-up channels.
Virgin Media Ireland: Coverage available on TNT Sports.
EE/BT: Access to TNT Sports via discovery+ depends on subscription type.
Amazon PVC: Available through any discovery+ subscription.
Vodafone UK: Customers can access coverage via discovery+ Entertainment subscription.
Streaming Devices: Compatible platforms include Roku, Samsung, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation, Apple TV+, Google TV, and Xbox, all accessible through any discovery+ subscription.
BBC's Complementary Coverage
The BBC will supplement this extensive coverage with its own Olympic programming, offering two streams of live daytime action. Between 9am and 10pm daily, viewers can watch on BBC One and BBC Two, while an Olympics Extra live stream will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport from 8am until 11pm. In total, the BBC will broadcast 450 hours of live sport, supported by expert analysis from distinguished former athletes including two-time skeleton Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold, figure skating gold medallist Robin Cousins, curling gold medallist Vicky Wright, and former bobsledder Montell Douglas.
This comprehensive broadcasting arrangement ensures that British audiences can follow every moment of the 2026 Winter Olympics, from the opening ceremony through to the final medal presentations, across multiple platforms and devices.
