Evolution of Winter Olympic sports Timeline from 1924 Olympics in Chamonix to Milano-Cortina 2026 Key: Men / women Men Women Number of events Chamonix (1924) 16 St. Moritz (1928) 14 Lake Placid (1932) 14 G-Partenkirchen (1936) 17 St. Moritz (1948) 22 Oslo (1952) 22 Cortina d’Ampezzo (1956) 24 Squaw Valley (1960) 27 Innsbruck (1964) 34 Grenoble (1968) 35 Sapporo (1972) 35 Innsbruck (1976) 37 Lake Placid (1980) 38 Sarajevo (1984) 39 Calgary (1988) 46 Albertville (1992) 57 Lillehammer (1994) 61 Nagano (1998) 68 Salt Lake City (2002) 78 Turin (2006) 84 Vancouver (2010) 86 Sochi (2014) 98 Pyeongchang (2018) 102 Beijing (2022) 109 Milano-Cortina (2026) 116 Alpine Skiing From ancient transport to high-speed sport Most successful nations: AUT 40 44 44 SUI 27 23 25 USA 17 21 10 Combined Downhill Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Mixed team event Biathlon Military patrol featured only at 1924 Olympics – forerunner to biathlon NOR 22 18 16 GER 21 20 13 FRA 13 8 11 20km 15km 15km 12.5km 12.5km 10km 7.5km 6km 10km 6km 7.5km Individual Mass start Pursuit Relay Sprint Mixed relay Bobsleigh Omitted at 1960 Olympics due to financial implications of building track GER 16 9 7 SUI 10 10 11 USA 8 11 9 Four-person Two-person Monobob Cross-Country Skiing Events typically contested using classical or freestyle techniques NOR 52 43 34 SWE 32 27 25 URS* 25 22 21 5km 10km 18km / 15km 30km 50km 4x5km 4x7.5km 4x10km Combined / Double pursuit / Skiathlon Individual sprint Team sprint Curling Returned in 1998 after 74-year absence CAN 6 3 3 SWE 4 3 4 GBR 3 2 1 Main tournament Mixed doubles Figure Skating Debuted at 1908 Summer Olympics before moving to winter programme USA 17 16 21 RUS 15 9 3 URS 10 9 5 Singles Pair skating Ice dance Team event Freestyle Skiing Initially called ‘hotdogging’ due to mix of acrobatic aerials and adrenaline CAN 12 12 6 USA 11 13 9 SUI 6 3 4 Aerials Big air Dual moguls Half-pipe Moguls Ski cross Slopestyle Mixed team aerials Ice Hockey Introduced at 1920 Summer Olympics CAN 14 6 3 URS 7 1 1 USA 4 12 2 Main tournament Luge Traditionally dominated by Germany Most successful nations: GER 24 14 10 GDR† 13 8 8 ITA 7 4 7 Singles Doubles Team relay Nordic Combined Only Winter Olympic sport contested by men only NOR 15 12 8 GER 7 6 5 FIN 4 8 2 18km normal hill 15km normal hill 10km normal hill 10km large hill 7.5km sprint large hill Team large hill Short Track Speed Skating One of fastest sports at Winter Olympic Games KOR 26 16 11 CHN 12 16 9 CAN 10 13 14 500m 1000m 1500m Mixed 2000m relay 3000m relay 5000m relay Skeleton Added to programme in 2002, after brief outings in 1928 and 1948 USA 3 4 1 GBR 3 1 5 GER 2 3 1 Main event Team relay Ski Jumping Strict rules applied for ski suits, ski length and regulated body weight NOR 12 10 14 FIN 10 8 4 AUT 7 10 10 Individual large hill Individual normal hill Super team large hill Mixed normal hill team Ski Mountaineering Sport defined by technique, endurance, stamina, and strategy set for debut in 2026 Sprint Mixed relay Snowboarding Both men and women’s events debuted in 1998 with equal parity USA 17 8 10 SUI 8 2 4 CAN 5 5 7 Parallel giant slalom Big air Half-pipe Parallel slalom Slopestyle Snowboard cross Mixed team snowboard cross Speed Skating Traditionally held outdoors until move to covered rink for first time in 1988 NED 48 44 41 USA 30 22 19 NOR 28 29 30 500m 1000m 1500m 3000m 5000m 10,000m Mass start Team pursuit Sources: IOC, Olympedia Picture: Getty Images URS* – Soviet Union, GDR† – East Germany © GRAPHIC NEWS