The 25th edition of the Winter Olympics begins on Feb. 6, and will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
This will mark the third time that Italy is hosting the Winter Olympics, and their first time holding the games in 20 years. Italy is one of 13 nations that have hosted the Winter Olympics, and one of eight countries that have done so multiple times.
Before the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games begin, here’s a look back at every host city of the Winter Olympics.
Every Winter Olympics Host City (1924–Present)
| Year | Host City |
|---|---|
| 1924 | Chamonix, France |
| 1928 | St. Moritz, Switzerland |
| 1932 | Lake Placid, United States |
| 1936 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany |
| 1948 | St. Moritz, Switzerland |
| 1952 | Oslo, Norway |
| 1956 | Cortina d’Ampezzo |
| 1960 | Squaw Valley, United States |
| 1964 | Innsbruck, Austria |
| 1968 | Grenoble, France |
| 1972 | Sapporo, Japan |
| 1976 | Innsbruck, Austria |
| 1980 | Lake Placid, United States |
| 1984 | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 1988 | Calgary, Canada |
| 1992 | Albertville, France |
| 1994 | Lillehammer, Norway |
| 1998 | Nagano, Japan |
| 2002 | Salt Lake City, United States |
| 2006 | Turin, Italy |
| 2010 | Vancouver, Canada |
| 2014 | Sochi, Russia |
| 2018 | Pyeongchang, South Korea |
| 2022 | Beijing, China |
| 2026 | Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo |
This year marks the third time Italy will be hosting the Winter Olympics. Italy previously held the Winter Olympics in 1956 in Cortina d’Ampezzo and in Turin in 2006, and Cortina d’Ampezzo will be holding the Olympics alongside Milan this year.
Only two other countries have held the Winter Olympics as many times as Italy—France and the United States. France hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and later in 1968 and 1992. The French Alps will serve as the host of the next Winter Olympics in 2030. The United States has held the Winter Olympics four times in 1932, 1960, 1980 and 2002, and will host the Winter Olympics again in 2034.
Japan, Canada, Austria, Norway and Switzerland are the other five nations that have hosted the Winter Olympics multiple times.
Geography and Climate: What Makes a Great Winter Olympics Location
Due to the need for snow, colder climates and mountainous terrain, there are more restrictions regarding where the Winter Olympics can take place.
These limits will likely grow due to the impact of climate change, which is expected to result in fewer countries being able to host the Winter Olympics in the future.
“By the middle of the century, we will probably have around 10 to 12 countries to have a cold enough climate to host Olympic snow sports,” Karl Stoss, chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission, told the New York Times earlier this month.
The changes in climate have also made the Olympics more reliant on the usage of man-made snow, especially since host sites need to have enough snow to last through both the Olympics Games and Paralympic Games.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are hosted by two sites in northern Italy, and having a regional host for the Olympics could become a trend in the future, particularly to accommodate for the climate and snowfall needed to make the games take place.
Iconic Winter Olympic Venues
Lake Placid, NY
One of the most iconic sporting events in history took place at the Olympic Arena in Lake Placid, New York in 1980: the Miracle on Ice. Playing in front of their home crowd, the Miracle on Ice saw the United States upset the Soviet Union in the men’s hockey tournament. The Soviet Union had won the gold in men’s ice hockey in four straight Olympic Games, but fell to the United States, who went on to win the gold.
Lillehammer Ski Jump, Norway
Coolest entrance ever?
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 6, 2025
At the Lillehammer Opening Ceremony, Stein Gruben took the Olympic Flame to new heights on the ski jump. pic.twitter.com/D5J14qg9XK
Since Norway last hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1994, the Lillehammer Ski Jumping Arena has remained a landmark for the city and a top tourist attraction in the area. Tourists can take the chairlift to the top of the mountain and catch the views.
Sochi Olympic Park, Russia
To host the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Sochi Olympic Park was built near the coast of the Black Sea, and is also known as the “coastal cluster.” Among the constructed buildings were the Adler Arena Skating Center, Bolshoy Ice Dome, Fisht Olympic Stadium, Ice Cube Curling Center, Iceberg Skating Palace, Shayba Arena, Olympic Village, Sochi Medals Plaza and a theme park.
Trends and Future of Winter Olympics Hosting
The host cities for the two Olympics after the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games have been announced.
| Year | Host City |
|---|---|
| 2030 | French Alps, France |
| 2034 | Salt Lake City, United States |
The Winter Olympics have primarily been held in Europe and North America over the event’s 100-year history. The first 10 Olympic Games all took place in Europe or North America before the first Olympics were held in Asia when Sapporo, Japan hosted the games in 1972. The Olympics were originally first supposed to held in Japan in 1940, but Japan withdrew due to the second Sino-Japanese War. Both the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were ultimately canceled because of World War II.
Japan also held the Winter Olympics in 1998. The Winter Olympics has been hosted in Asia two times since—in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and in Beijing, China in 2022. Unsurprisingly, the Winter Olympics have never been held in the southern hemisphere.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Winter Olympics Locations: A Complete Guide to Every Host City.
