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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved the qualification systems for speed skating and short track speed skating for the Olympic Winter Games at Milano Cortina, including a change in the age requirement for the event. The new guidelines state that only skaters who have reached at least 17 before July 1, 2025 will be eligible to compete at Milano Cortina 2026.
The Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in 2022 also used the same qualification process for speed skating, according to the IOC. The qualification procedures for other sports, such as ice hockey, biathlon, curling, figure skating, and ski mountaineering, had already been approved by the IOC Executive Board. The qualification system for ice hockey was approved by the IOC EB in March, earlier this year. It includes the same total number of teams (22) and athletes’ quota places (48 total athletes: 25 Men, 23 Women) as for Beijing 2022.
In June 2023, the systems for ski mountaineering, biathlon, curling, figure skating, and short track speed skating were approved. With the exception of ski mountaineering, a new sport that has been added to the Olympic program for Milano Cortina 2026, there were no significant changes made in comparison to the respective Beijing 2022 qualification systems.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are scheduled to take place between February 6 and 22, 2026, with the Paralympic Winter Games set to be held from March 6 to 15. The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games are set to become the most gender-balanced games in history, with an increase in female participation of 47 percent.
