Cross-Country Skiing

Sport Overview

Cross-Country Skiing at Milano Cortina 2026

Venue: Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium

Competition Dates: February 7-8, 10, 12-15, 18, 21-22 (Days 1-2, 4, 6-9, 12, 15-16)

Events: 12 (6 men, 6 women)

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Cross-country skiing features two types of skiing: classic technique and free technique. Traditionally, most of the Olympic events will alternate between the two techniques from Games to Games. In classic technique, the skis must move parallel to each other through machine-groomed tracks in the snow. There are no restrictions in free technique, sometimes called skate skiing, making for a slightly faster motion.

There are 12 events on the Olympic program, all divided by gender. At Milano Cortina 2026, men and women will race over the same distances for the first time in Olympic history.

The skiathlon is the only event in which individual skiers use both techniques. They begin with a mass start in classic technique. After the first 10km leg, they quickly change skis in a pit box with the clock still running before embarking on a second 10km leg in free technique. The first skier to cross the finish line is the winner.

At Milano Cortina 2026 the 10km events will use free technique. Skiers start in 30 second intervals and race against the clock, with the fastest time determining the winner.

The 50km mass start events will use the classic technique at Milano Cortina 2026. Skiers start simultaneously, lined up in the shape of an arrow with the highest ranked positioned at the point. The first skier to cross the finish line is the winner.

The sprint events will be held in classic technique at Milano Cortina 2026. Competition begins with a qualification round on the approximately 1km course to rank the athletes. The top 30 advance to one of five quarterfinals. The top two in each quarterfinal as well as the two fastest “lucky losers” advance to one of two semifinals. The top two in each semifinal as well as the two fastest “lucky losers” advance to the final, where the first skier to cross the finish line is the winner.

In the team sprint, which will be in free technique at Milano Cortina 2026, two athletes alternately ski three legs apiece. Competition begins with two semifinals. The top three teams in each advance to the final along with the four fastest “lucky losers”. The first team to complete its six laps is the winner.

In the 4×7.5km relays, the first two legs are in classic technique with the last two in free technique. The first skiers on each team start simultaneously. Upon completion of their leg they must tag the next team member to go out. The first team to have its final skier cross the finish line is the winner.

Canadian Olympic Cross-Country Skiing History (pre-Milano Cortina 2026)

All three of Canada’s Olympic cross-country skiing medals have been won by women, the first by Beckie Scott at Salt Lake City 2002, where she was the gold medallist in the 5km + 5km pursuit. Four years later, she joined with Sara Renner to win silver in the classic team sprint at Turin 2006. At those Games, Chandra Crawford stood atop the podium with a gold medal in the free sprint.

Scott also posted two other best-ever Canadian results, finishing fourth in the 10km classic at Salt Lake City 2002 and sixth in the skiathlon at Turin 2006. She was also a great sprinter, finishing fourth at Turin 2006 and fifth at Salt Lake City 2002.

The Canadian men had an impressive set of Olympic performances at Vancouver 2010, led by Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw just missing the podium with a fourth place finish in the free team sprint. Kershaw was fifth in the 50km classic mass start, just six-tenths of a second out of bronze medal position after more than two hours of racing. Ivan Babikov also placed fifth in the skiathlon. Harvey had another near miss at PyeongChang 2018 when he placed fourth in the 50km classic mass start.

At Beijing 2022, Antoine Cyr and Graham Ritchie finished a Canadian best-ever fifth in the men’s classic team sprint.

Olympic Cross-Country Skiing History

Cross-country skiing has been contested at every edition of the Olympic Winter Games, starting with two individual events for men at Chamonix 1924. A men’s relay event was added at Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936.

Women first competed in Olympic cross-country skiing at Oslo 1952, two years before their debut at the world championships. There was only one individual event before a women’s relay was added at Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956.

It wasn’t until Sarajevo 1984 that men and women competed in an equal number of events, but the distances were quite different, with men racing over 15km, 30km, and 50km individually while women’s individual races were 5km, 10km, and 20km.

It was at Calgary 1988 where events began to be designated for classic or free technique. It was part of an effort to protect the tradition of classic technique after the skate skiing technique had been pioneered in the late 1970s and was found to be faster.

All Olympic cross-country skiing events were against the clock until the addition of the sprint and its multiple rounds of racing at Salt Lake City 2002. The team sprint debuted at Turin 2006.