The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, will run from Friday, Feb. 6 through Sunday, Feb. 22. Over the course of those two weeks, athletes from 92 countries -- not including Russia or Belarus -- will compete in 16 different sports.
At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the United States finished tied for third in the gold medal count, just behind Norway and Germany. The U.S. brought home nine gold medals, which was tied with China in that category, but the Americans finished fifth in the overall medal count with 25.
Team USA has already exceeded its overall medal tally, now at 27, and stands to add to both the overall count and possibly even the gold medal count. A win over Slovakia on Friday would assure the U.S. men's hockey team of some type of medal as it would advance to Sunday's final.
On Thursday, figure skater Alysa Liu, 20, became the first American woman to take home a singles gold in 24 years and the U.S. women's hockey team rallied from a 1-0 third period deficit to a 2-1 overtime victory over rival Canada to reach the top of the podium for the first time in eight years. And speedskater Jordan Stolz added to his collection of two previous gold medals with a silver in the men's 1,500 meters.
Norway will attempt to defend its title as the most awarded country in the Winter Olympics, both from 2022 and all-time. The Norwegians won 16 gold medals and 37 total medals at the Beijing Games four years ago, and they possess a large edge in the all-time medal count. Entering these Games, Norway had won 148 gold medals and 406 total medals in its 24 appearances at the Winter Olympics. The Americans are a distant second with 330 total medals.
Russian and Belarusian athletes are permitted to compete, but only as individuals under a neutral flag. They'll be classified as "Individual Neutral Athletes," and their medals won't factor into the overall count. Russian and Belarusian teams are still banned from competing the Olympics.
Keep track of the live medal count over the next couple weeks as the United States looks to fill up its trophy case while competing across Northern Italy.
