Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics - Cross-country Skiing

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The Winter Olympics are here, and that means Cross-country skiing is back on our screens!

You can view the schedule here. Cross-country skiing is on from 7-22 February 2026.

What is Cross-country Skiing?
Cross-country skiing is divided by technique: classic and free. In the classic technique, the skier glides along tracks etched in the snow, while in the free technique (also called "skate"), the skier makes lateral movements relative to the direction of travel. Each race at the Olympics takes place in the classic or free technique.
Read more here.

Very brief history of Cross-country Skiing
The oldest form of skiing, cross-country skiing was born in northern Europe because of the need to travel for long distances across snowy terrain. It became a sport in the late 19th century.

Cross-country skiing originated long ago. The word "ski" comes from the Old Norse "skid" or "long piece of wood". For centuries, people used skis to hunt and gather firewood in winter across northern Europe. With long distances between small, isolated communities and harsh, snowy winters, skiing also became important as a means of maintaining social contacts. In the late 19th century, cross-country skiing became a sport and was practiced by Norwegian army units. The first documented official competition dates to 1842. The event that brought cross-country skiing to prominence throughout Europe was the Greenland crossing by Fridtjof Nansen in 1888. The famous Holmenkollen ski festival began in 1892, and initially all attention was focused on the Nordic combined event. In 1901, however, a separate cross-country skiing race was added to the programme.

The sport, which was an instant success, has been an Olympic discipline since the first Winter Games were held in Chamonix in 1924 with men's competitions. Women's competitions were added at Oslo 1952. The Norwegians initially dominated the sport at the Games, later joined by Swedish and Finnish athletes.

Visit the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics Hub Thread for more!

Reply 1

Geo Lover 7

Chat Forum Helper, Study Forum Helper

Team GB will send a Cross-country skiing group of 4 to Milan-Cortina.
Andrew Musgrave-Men's 15 kilmometres Classic, Men's 30 kilometres Skiathlon, Men's 50 kilometres Mass Start
James Clugnet-Men's 15 kilometres Classic
Joe Davies-Men's 15 kilmometres Classic, Men's 30 kilometres Skiathlon, Men's 50 kilometres Mass Start
Anna Pryce-Women's 30 kilometres Skiathlon

Reply 2

Geo Lover 7

Chat Forum Helper, Study Forum Helper

Women's 10km+10km Skiathlon medalists:
:king1:

: Frida Karlsson (🇸🇪)
:king2:

: Ebba Andersson (🇸🇪)
:king3:

: Heidi Weng (🇳🇴)

Reply 3

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper

Original post

by Geo Lover 7

Women's 10km+10km Skiathlon medalists:
:king1:

: Frida Karlsson (🇸🇪)
:king2:

: Ebba Andersson (🇸🇪)
:king3:

: Heidi Weng (🇳🇴)

Hope to be right here with the medal ranking.

Women's sprint:

:king1:

Svahn (Sweden)
:king2:

Sundling (Sweden)
:king3:

Dahlqvist (Sweden)

No doubt, this is Sweden's favorite discipline: five of six possible medals!

Reply 4

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper

Original post

by Geo Lover 7

Women's 10km+10km Skiathlon medalists:
:king1:

: Frida Karlsson (🇸🇪)
:king2:

: Ebba Andersson (🇸🇪)
:king3:

: Heidi Weng (🇳🇴)

Hey, where are all the flags hidden? I couldn't find them in the emoji-table. They make the rankings more interesting.

Reply 5

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper

@Geo Lover 7 and @04MR17 I hope that I add the ranking in the right sport. If not, remove my reply and merge it with another thread. Thanks!

Women's 10 km intervall:

:king1:

Karlsson (Sweden)
:king2:

Andersson (Sweden)
:king3:

Diggins (USA)

(edited 3 weeks ago)

Reply 6

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper