Timeline of Winter Sports Added to the Olympic Winter Games (1924–2026) 

The Olympic Winter Games have evolved dramatically since their debut in 1924, reflecting changes in athletic innovation, technology, broadcast culture, and the Olympic Movement’s push for broader inclusion and mixed-gender formats. While several sports have been on the program since the very beginning, others arrived later as winter sport expanded globally—especially through freestyle disciplines and snowboarding. 

This timeline focuses on when a sport (or major discipline/event) entered the Olympic Winter Games program, leading up to Milano Cortina 2026. 

How this document is sourced: All historical information in this timeline is drawn from official International Olympic Committee publications, Olympics.com sport histories and Games program, and international sport federation records (FIL, FIS, ISU). Citations are provided in APA 7 format in the reference list below and apply to all entries unless otherwise noted. 

1924 – Chamonix, France (First Olympic Winter Games) 

Sports on the program at the first Winter Games: 

• Bobsleigh 

• Curling 

• Figure Skating (had appeared earlier at the Summer Games)

• Ice Hockey (had appeared earlier at the Summer Games)

• Speed Skating

• Nordic Skiing (Cross‑Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined)

1936 – Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany 

Sport added to the Winter Games program: 

• Alpine Skiing  

1960 – Squaw Valley, USA 

Sport added to the Winter Games program: 

• Biathlon  

1964 – Innsbruck, Austria 

Sport added to the Winter Games program: 

• Luge  

1988 – Calgary, Canada 

Disciplines introduced as demonstration competitions: 

• Freestyle Skiing  

• Short Track Speed Skating (demonstration)

1992 – Albertville, France 

Disciplines added as official medal events: 

• Moguls becomes a medal event 

• Short Track Speed Skating becomes a medal event 

1994 – Lillehammer, Norway 

Discipline added:

• Aerials becomes a medal event

1998 – Nagano, Japan 

Sports added: 

• Snowboarding (Olympic debut; introduced with giant slalom and halfpipe)

• Curling (returns as a medal sport for the first time since 1924)

2002 – Salt Lake City, USA 

Sport reintroduced / program expansion: 

• Skeleton (reinstated as a permanent Olympic Winter sport)

2006 – Torino, Italy

New events introduced:

• Snowboarding (snowboard cross becomes an Olympic event)

• Biathlon (mass start becomes an Olympic event)

2010 – Vancouver, Canada

New event introduced:

• Freestyle Skiing (ski cross becomes an Olympic event)

2014 – Sochi, Russia 

Major expansion of action-sport and team formats: 

• Ski Slopestyle (men’s and women’s)

• Snowboard Slopestyle (men’s and women’s)

• Ski Halfpipe (men’s and women’s)

• Team Figure Skating (team event added)

2018 – PyeongChang, South Korea

New events introduced:

• Mixed Doubles Curling (Olympic debut)

• Snowboard Big Air (Olympic debut)

• Speed Skating Mass Start (Olympic debut)

2022 – Beijing, China 

New events introduced (selected highlights): 

• Women’s Monobob (bobsleigh event added)

• Mixed Team Aerials (freestyle skiing event added)

• Mixed Team Relay (short track speed skating event added)

2026 – Milano Cortina, Italy

New sport added:

• Ski Mountaineering (added to the Olympic Winter Games program: for the first time)

New events noted for Milano Cortina 2026: 

• Women’s Doubles in Luge 

• Women’s Individual Large Hill in Ski Jumping 

• Mixed Team event in Skeleton

• Freestyle Skiing (dual moguls added to the Olympic program)

References (APA 7 format)

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Olympic Winter Games reference documents. IOC Olympic Studies Centre. https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-studies-centre

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Alpine skiing at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/alpine-skiing/

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Biathlon at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/biathlon/

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Luge at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/luge/

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Freestyle skiing at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/freestyle-skiing/

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Short track speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/short-track-speed-skating/

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Snowboarding at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/snowboard/

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Curling at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/curling/

International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). Skeleton at the Olympic Winter Games. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/sports/skeleton/

International Olympic Committee. (2014). Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games official results and event programme. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/sochi-2014

International Olympic Committee. (2018). PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games official results and event programme. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018

International Olympic Committee. (2022). Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games official results and event programme. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2022

International Olympic Committee. (2023). IOC approves ski mountaineering for Milano Cortina 2026. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/ioc/news

International Olympic Committee. (2024). Milano Cortina 2026 sports and events programme. Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/milano-cortina-2026

International Luge Federation. (n.d.). History of luge at the Olympic Winter Games. FIL. https://www.fil-luge.org/en/inside-fil/history

International Ski and Snowboard Federation. (n.d.). FIS freestyle skiing and snowboarding Olympic history. FIS. https://www.fis-ski.com/

International Skating Union. (n.d.). Olympic figure skating and speed skating history. ISU. https://www.isu.org/