Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026: sports, style, strategy

Anyone else been tuning in to 2026 Winter Olympics??

The run-up to the Games and the competitions have been world class; with BTS drama and off-slope confessions tea-worthy. 

I caught the highlights from the Opening Ceremony, it was grand. It had 21 million+ viewers (just US), and early signals show very high intent to keep watching. Know more after the Games, but a strong opening could be a great conversion story.

No surprises, Norway is leading the medal count, followed by Italy, the US, Japan, and Germany in the Top 5. These are the usual contenders, except Italy and Japan, who are typically in the top 15. Japan is winning in snowboarding, and Italy seems to be beating its own record, a reflection of both home advantage and serious training, infra investment.

And a word on the team collections? Next level (fine, 2 words).

A range of brands have sponsored: Moncler for Brazil, Goyol Cashmere for Mongolia, Uniqlo for Sweden, Lululemon for Canada, Nike ACG for Team USA, Adidas for Team GB, and plenty more. 

The collections have rich storytelling behind them and are being praised as some of the most fashionable in history. The products blend high fashion, innovation, technical performance, and sustainability. Because why can’t functional gear be stylish? The intersection of sport and style is even more pronounced.

The consumers' sentiments have been mostly positive especially for Team Brazil and Mongolia. Both were unexpected standouts.

There are 93 nations participating this year. I’d say roughly 25% of these countries send in big teams, the rest forming a long tail of smaller delegations. The UAE made its debut this year along with some West African countries, sending only a handful of athletes. 

Some countries (including India to an extent) face structural constraints, with limited snow, scarce funding and investment, the odds are tough. That said, India does have mountain ranges and with the country's growing momentum in sports, there's huge potential in winter sports to build on. Already starting to be explored by athletes like Arif Khan. 

With each Games, the spotlight grows. The question is not ‘why participate’ but ‘how to integrate’ these moments into long-term strategy. This applies to smaller brands too. The scale is big enough for all to get involved in various ways... through sponsorships, kit design, volunteer uniforms, fan experiences, digital immersions, and please, let’s not forget the Paralympics. 

Paris 2024 proved the potential. Paralympic viewers were up by 40%, global search interest crossed 1 billion queries, and all sports were broadcast live. It’s an untapped opportunity. The Milano Cortina Paralympics, run by the International Paralympic Committee, are on from March 6 to 15. See for yourselves.

International Olympic Committee – IOC, Indian Olympic Association 

📸 Duomo di Milano, from a previous Milan visit.