Now that the 2024 Paris Olympics are finished, you might be wondering, where are the Olympics heading next?
The 2026 Winter Games are being hosted in Italy in the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Italy beat out a multi-city bid from Sweden in the selection process. Then, in 2028, the Summer Games are coming back to the United States and will mostly be hosted in Los Angeles, which was unanimously chosen by the International Olympic Committee.
With the events in Paris over, here’s what you need to know about the future Olympics:
1. Italy has a history with the winter Olympics
The Olympics in 2026 will mark the 20th anniversary of the 2006 Winter Games held in Turin and the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games held in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Italy also hosted a Summer Olympics, in 1960 in Rome, so this will mark the fourth time overall that the country has hosted the international sports competition.
2. Other Italian cities will host competitions too in 2026
Not all of the events in the 2026 Winter Games will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Here’s the breakdown of the other cities and what competitions will be held there.
- Livigno: Freestyle Skiing, Snowboarding
- Bormio: Alpine Skiing, Ski Mountaineering (making its Olympic debut)
- Tesero: Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined
- Predazzo: Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined
- Anterselva and Antholz: Biathlon
3. NHL players are heading back to the Olympics
The world’s best hockey league hasn’t allowed its players to participate in the Olympics since the 2014 games in Sochi. That’s changing in 2026, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced during All-Star Weekend earlier this year. Bettman told the AP:
“Everybody felt on our ownership side that it was the right thing to do. … This really came down to doing something because the players really wanted it.”
However, in February, according to the AP, the 15,000-seat hockey arena that is supposed to host Olympic play in two years was nowhere near being completed.
4. Los Angeles joins an exclusive club in 2028
When the Summer Games come to Los Angeles in 2028, it will join London (1908, 1948, 2012) and Paris (1900, 1924, 2024) as the only cities to host the Olympics three times. Los Angeles previously hosted the summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984.
It will also be the first time the Olympics have been in the U.S. in nearly three decades. The last Olympics hosted in the U.S. were the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
While most of the competitions will be held in and around Los Angeles – or at least in the state of California – two sports will be played states away. Oklahoma City will host softball and canoe slalom.
5. Flag football’s debut
Baseball, softball, cricket and lacrosse will all return to the Olympics in 2028, and two new sports will make their debuts: Squash and flag football.
The latter already has us thinking about what sort of NFL all-star team could play in Los Angeles. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has already expressed his interest.
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