Aiming to deliver peak performance

Northern exposure

The 2026 Olympic Alpine competitions are spread across the northern tip of Italy, with cross-country skiing being held in Val di Fiemme, a valley in the heart of the Dolomites.

The Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, a regular host of elite competitions, will be familiar terrain for many athletes.

Events begin the day after the opening ceremony and conclude on the Games' final day, starting with sprints and finishing with the women's 50 km mass start.

Cross-country skiing has produced some of the Olympics' most enduring moments.

In 2018, Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall delivered a dramatic photo-finish to win gold in the team sprint at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Their breakthrough ended the United States' medal drought in the discipline and inspired a new generation of American skiers — many even copying Diggins' trademark glitter makeup.

The Sarajevo Games in 1984 were electrified by 22-year-old Swede Gunde Svan, who became a winter sports icon by winning four medals, including two golds, across events from sprints to relays.

Military history

Snow sports — cross-country skiing in particular — owe much to the Norwegian military. Soldiers on skis held races as part of their training more than 200 years ago, helping shape the sport into formal competition. Norwegian dominance has continued ever since: cross-country great Marit Bjoergen retired in 2018 as the most decorated Winter Olympian, with 15 medals, including eight golds.

The physical demands of cross-country skiing are among the most extreme in sport. Top athletes often post some of the highest oxygen-uptake scores ever recorded, reflecting the extraordinary cardiovascular capacity needed to drive both arms and legs across varied terrain for hours.