2026 Winter Olympics: Norway Breaks Records, Slovakia Without a Medal

A Finale Under the Vault of an Ancient Amphitheater

The Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo officially closed on February 22, 2026, at the legendary Arena di Verona. The closing ceremony, titled "Beauty in Action," took place before approximately 12,000 spectators in the nearly 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This marked the first time since the 1896 Athens Olympics that an Olympic ceremony was held in an ancient historical monument. The evening was filled with performances ranging from lyrical operas to Italian pop and contemporary electronic music — the farewell concluded with Achille Lauro's song Incoscienti Giovani. To conclude, two Olympic flames were extinguished simultaneously — one in Milan and the other in Cortina d'Ampezzo — representing a historic first for the Winter Games.

Norway Rewrites History

The kingdom of Nordic skiing once again dominated the medal standings. Norway won 18 gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze medals — a total of 41 medals — surpassing its own records from Beijing 2022. The hero of the Games was cross-country skier Johannes Hösflot Kläbo, who won six gold medals, placing him among the most successful Olympians in the history of the Winter Games.

The United States finished second with 12 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze medals. Their triumph was capped by a dramatic hockey final: Jack Hughes scored the winning goal 1 minute and 41 seconds into overtime, as the USA defeated Canada 2:1 to win hockey gold for the first time since the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. The home nation, Italy, experienced its most successful Winter Olympics ever — 30 medals (10 gold, 6 silver, 14 bronze) surpassed the previous national record from Lillehammer 1994. The Netherlands finished third overall with 20 medals, driven by their traditional strength in speed skating.

Debuts and Milestones

The 2026 edition also brought sporting innovations. Ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut and thrilled audiences with challenging performances on mountain courses. In total, approximately 2,900 athletes from around the world competed in 116 disciplines across 16 competition categories.

Slovakia Without a Medal for the First Time Since 2002

For Slovak fans, the Games brought disappointment. The Slovak team did not reach a single medal podium, a situation not seen since the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002. The closest to a medal were the hockey players — they advanced from their group after victories over Finland (4:1) and Italy (3:2), defeated Germany (6:2) in the quarterfinals, but were outmatched by an excellent USA team in the semifinals (2:6). In the bronze medal match, they then lost decisively to Finland 1:6.

Among individual performances, Marianna Jagerčíková's 11th place finish in debut ski mountaineering is worth mentioning. Slovakia leaves Italy without a medal, but the hockey team showed that it belongs among the European elite — and that could be motivation ahead of domestic championships and future Olympic cycles.

The Baton Passes to the Riviera

During the closing ceremony, Italy handed over the Olympic flag to France. The 2030 Winter Olympics will be held on the French Riviera and in the adjacent Alpine resorts. Organizers are planning a similar decentralized model to the one that proved successful in Italy — with Alpine venues for mountain disciplines and coastal Nice in reserve for ceremonial events. Milan and Cortina thus bid farewell to their position as Olympic hosts with the recognition that they managed to combine sport with the immortal Italian cultural heritage.