Today’s Winter Olympics Predictions: 8 medal events as well as the Ice Hockey quarter-finals (18 February)
General overview
When are the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics taking place? The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics is taking take place between 6th February, 2026 and 22nd February 2026, although some preliminary events in sports such as Curling and Ice Hockey have already got underway.
Where are the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics taking place? The Opening Ceremony for the games will be held at San Siro in Milan with the Closing Ceremony being held at the Verona Arena in Verona. There are events taking place across Lombardy and the north west of Italy with Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Alps hosting a lot of skiing events.
How to watch the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: In the UK, the BBC and TNT Sports are the main broadcasters. In USA, NBCUniversal and Versant are the main broadcasters for the games.
What’s on today (18 February) at the Winter Olympics?
On a day with eight medal events, things are heating up in the drawn out longer tournaments as the Curling gets towards its denouement, while the men’s Ice Hockey reaches its quarter-final stage.
Medal events
Alpine Skiing: Women’s slalom | 12.30pm (UK)
Mikaela Shiffrin is one of the biggest stars in Alpine Skiing and she will be searching for a third Olympic gold after winning the Slalom event in Sochi back in 2014.
Prediction: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) to win
Biathlon: Women’s relay | 1.45pm (UK)
In the Biathlon thus far, Norway and France have dominated the event with 15 medals between them, with only Italy and Sweden picking up solitary gold medals aside from the pair in the seven events. Swedish pair Elvira Oberg and Hanna Oberg will be in the hunt for medals alongside the Italian Lisa Vittozzi but Lou Jeanmonnot, who has a gold, silver and a bronze in these games so far, remains the favourite.
Prediction: Lou Jeanmonnot (FRA) to win
Cross-Country Skiing: Women’s team sprint | 10.45am (UK)
In the men’s Cross-Country Skiing events, Norway have dominated with four gold medals from four events, as well as three bronze medals. The women’s events, though, Sweden have three gold medals from four as well as four silvers and a bronze – with the classical sprint seeing a clean sweep across the board and they are heavy favourites to win the team sprint.
Prediction: SWE to win
Cross-Country Skiing: Men’s team sprint | 11.15am (UK)
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is the greatest Winter Olympian of all time already with nine gold medals, as well as a silver and a bronze, to his name but he is not done there with the Norwegian expected to lead his team to another gold in the men’s team sprint.
Prediction: NOR to win
Freestyle Skiing: Women’s aerials | 11.30am (UK)
Xu Mengtao won the 2022 women’s aerials event in Beijing and was a flag bearer for the Chinese in the Closing Ceremony. She is the firm favourite once again to defend her Olympic crown, too.
Prediction: Xu Mengtao (CHN) to win
Short Track: Women’s 3000m relay | 8pm (UK)
Unsurprisingly, given just how strong the Dutch are and have been on the skating tracks in these games, the Netherlands are overwhelming favourites to come out on top for gold in the women’s 3000m relay event in the Short Track Speed Skating.
Prediction: NED to win
Short Track: Men’s 500m | 8.32pm (UK)
On Wednesday, the men’s 500m will take place and it is one of the most entertaining Olympic events with quarter-finals and semi-finals before the final. William Dandjinou is a big game and should be in the final at least but Jens van ‘t Wout is the favourite.
Prediction: Jens van ‘t Wout (NED) to win
Snowboarding: Men’s slopestyle | 12.28pm (UK)
It is expected to be a very tight contest in the penultimate Snowboarding medal event of the games with Dane Menzies and Mark McMorris difficult to separate and Marcus Kleveland also expected to be in the hunt.
Prediction: Dane Menzies (NZL) to win
Other events
Curling: Men’s and women’s preliminaries | 6.05pm (UK)
Team GB suffered defeat in both the men’s and the women’s pressure and after shockingly missing out on a medal in the mixed doubles, there is pressure on the Brits on Wednesday as they face Team USA in the men’s and Japan as well as the US in the women’s tournament.
Ice Hockey: Men’s quarter-finals | 11.10am – 8.10pm (UK)
The men’s Ice Hockey, much anticipated, hits the quarter-final stage on Wednesday with Slovakia, Finland and the USA getting automatic entry into the last eight after the preliminaries alongside the star studded Canadians who boast the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.
