Introduction to Winter Olympics Sports

The Winter Olympics are returning after four long years, with top athletes from around the world traveling to Italy for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. The Winter Olympics feature a variety of sports, including alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, Nordic combined, short track speed skating, ski jumping, ski mountaineering, sliding sports, snowboard, and speed skating.

Overview of Winter Olympics Sports

While sports like figure skating, downhill skiing, and ice hockey are Olympic staples, other disciplines fly more under the radar. The 2026 Milan Cortina Games will also feature a new sport, ski mountaineering, which combines uphill climbing and downhill skiing. Before the action gets underway, it’s essential to understand the rules for each sport across the Winter Olympic program.

Alpine Skiing Rules

Alpine skiing is broken down into four different kinds of races: downhill, Super-G, slalom, and giant slalom. There is also a combined event that incorporates downhill and slalom, as well as an alpine skiing team event. Alpine skiers need to be mindful of the gates that are sprawled across the course. Missing a gate leads to an automatic disqualification.

Biathlon Rules

Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and shooting, each with its own set of rules. Biathletes race for the best times, and competitors get time penalties based on their results in the shooting portion of the event.

Cross-Country Skiing Rules

Cross-country skiers must follow a marked course from start to finish and pass all control points in their race. Violations in cross-country skiing include obstructing other skiers, waxing skies before a race, and violating technique.

Curling Rules

Curling can seem simple on the surface, but there are several ways in which competitors could break the rules. Curling violations include hogline violations, touching moving stones, touching stationary stones, playing out of order, and incorrect sweeping. Curling is like rolling cans of paint, the length of a basketball court across ice as thick as a steak.

Figure Skating Rules

Nine judges and a technical panel are in charge of scoring figure skaters at the Olympics. Figure skaters can lose out on points for a number of violations, whether it involves elements, falling, time, music, or even clothing. Olympic figure skating also has an age requirement, with all competitors needing to be 17 years old by July 1, 2025.

Freestyle Skiing Rules

In ski cross, any intentional contact with another competitor is illegal and results in an automatic disqualification. Blocking an opponent from passing is also illegal, but unavoidable causal contact is allowed. For the halfpipe, if a competitor stops in the halfpipe for more than 10 seconds, the judges will score the run to that point, and the run will be considered terminated.

Ice Hockey Rules

Ice hockey at the Olympics looks similar to play in the NHL, but the Olympic game is played on a bigger rink. There is also a major difference in the amount of contact allowed between men’s and women’s ice hockey, with "body checking" prohibited in the women’s game. The National Hockey League is sending players to compete at the Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030, marking the return of NHL players to the Games for the first time since 2014.

Nordic Combined Rules

Nordic combined takes ski jumping and cross-country skiing and turns them into a single event. However, since those two sports are scored on completely different scales, Nordic combined uses the Gunderson time-point conversion table to score events.

Short Track Speed Skating Rules

Short track speed skaters can be disqualified for various reasons, including impeding, two false starts, off-track, slowing down, team skating, and kicking out a skate. Short track also employs a card system, with a yellow card resulting in disqualification from a race and the rest of that event, and a red card resulting in disqualification from a race and event, exclusion from the rest of the Olympics, and being listed on the bottom of the event classification with no rank.

Ski Jumping Rules

Ski jumping isn’t just about going the furthest distance. Judges base a jumper’s score on their distance, along with style points, gate points, and wind compensation points.

Ski Mountaineering Rules

The newest Winter Olympic sport, ski mountaineering, will debut in Milan Cortina with a new set of rules for fans to learn. Ski mountaineering combines uphill climbing and downhill skiing, with sprint races consisting of an ascent and descent, and the mixed relay having two ascents plus a section on foot with skis attached to the backpack for each ascent and two descents.

Sliding Sports Rules

Bobsled, luge, and skeleton are all similar sliding sports, but they have their differences. Beyond the various sled types, the sports have different starting methods and racing positions.

Snowboard Rules

There are different sets of rules for halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, and snowboard cross. Like in freestyle skiing halfpipe, competitors cannot stop for more than 10 seconds in snowboard halfpipe. Similarly, snowboard cross rules mirror those of ski cross.

Speed Skating Rules

One key element to speed skating races is switching lanes, with skaters required to switch lanes once per lap. When it comes to possible disqualifications, skaters are not allowed to cut lines or leave the inner curve.

Conclusion

The Winter Olympics feature a wide range of sports, each with its unique rules and regulations. Understanding these rules is essential for athletes, coaches, and fans to appreciate the games fully. With the 2026 Milan Cortina Games approaching, it’s time to get familiar with the rules and regulations of each sport.

FAQs

• Q: What is the new sport debuting at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games?
  A: Ski mountaineering is the new sport debuting at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
• Q: What is the age requirement for figure skating at the Olympics?
  A: Figure skaters must be 17 years old by July 1, 2025, to compete at the Olympics.
• Q: What is the main difference between men’s and women’s ice hockey at the Olympics?
  A: The main difference is that "body checking" is prohibited in the women’s game.
• Q: How do judges score ski jumping events?
  A: Judges base a jumper’s score on their distance, along with style points, gate points, and wind compensation points.
• Q: What is the card system used in short track speed skating?
  A: The card system includes a yellow card, which results in disqualification from a race and the rest of that event, and a red card, which results in disqualification from a race and event, exclusion from the rest of the Olympics, and being listed on the bottom of the event classification with no rank.