100 days: The countdown to the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics is on

The GIST: Cento, cento, cento — believe it or not there are just 100 days (!!!) until the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics opening ceremony begins at Italy’s San Siro Olympic Stadium. Let the countdown begin with a quick look at the upcoming Winter Games by the numbers.

🥹 Two: Meet Tina and Milo, the official mascots (and certified cutie pies) of the Milano Cortina Olympics. These adorable stoats (think ferret, but smaller) are named for the two host cities: Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milano. However, as you’ll read below, these Games stretch far and wide across Europe’s famed boot.

😦 Eight: The upcoming Games will be held across eight Italian cities, from the biathlon in Anterselva to the closing ceremony in Verona.

⛄ 16: Athletes will compete across sixteen sports. That includes ski mountaineering, which is making its Olympic debut and will see Olympians traverse northern Italy, first climbing uphill and then racing down a mountain on skis. Not for the faint of heart.

🏒 12: As in 12 years — for the first time since 2014, NHL players can participate in the Olympics, an especially exciting change following the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year. Similarly, this will be the first Olympics featuring PWHL athletes after the league was founded in 2023. Drop that puck.

👏 47: The games are inching closer and closer to parity as 47% of Milano Cortina Olympians will be women. That’s thanks in part to the fact that these Games will feature the most women’s events in Winter Olympics history.

• What’s more, 2026 will see a 29% increase in women’s Paralympic participation compared to the 2022 edition.