100 skiers celebrate 100 years of the Olympic Winter Games
In Cortina d’Ampezzo, one hundred winter sports enthusiasts took to the slopes to celebrate 100 years of the Olympic Winter Games. The skiers – Olympic fans from the local community – joined together to mark the historic milestone by lighting up the slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo with torches in a dazzling display. They were also looking ahead to Milano Cortina 2026, the next edition of the Olympic Winter Games, beginning on 6 February 2026.
100 years ago, the first edition of the Olympic Winter Games took place in 1924 in Chamonix, France, between 25 January and 5 February. Over 10 days, the host town brought together athletes from 16 nations. The event was initially an integral part of the Olympic Games Paris 1924, and was known as the “Winter Sports Week of the VIII Olympiad”.
The world fell in love with the spectacular beauty of the mountains and the magic of winter sport, and in 1926 the event was retroactively recognised as the first edition of the Olympic Winter Games. Since then, the Games have evolved to become the world’s most important winter sports event. Today, up to 3,000 athletes from over 90 National Olympic Committees will compete at Milano Cortina 2026 in a growing number of disciplines, including the latest additions such as freestyle skiing and ski mountaineering – which is set to make its debut on the Olympic programme.
Marking two years until the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026
The celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the Olympic Winter Games took place on the slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, which first hosted the Games in 1956. Those slopes will also host the women’s alpine skiing events at the next edition of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which will open in exactly two years’ time this week.
A snow sculpture by local artist Andrea Gaspari, depicting the Olympic rings, was also on display.
More about the Olympic Winter Games, their history and the legacies they have created over the past century can be found here. Images can be downloaded here.
