Recomended bookmakers

up to 5000 USDT Visit

Visit

Up to 300 USD Visit

Skeleton competitions run from Thursday, February 12 to Sunday, February 15, 2026 — including men’s, women’s, and the new mixed team events. The events take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Skeleton races are decided over multiple timed runs, with razor-thin margins often separating medalists, making them exciting and highly competitive. As we mentioned, Milano-Cortina 2026 will feature the debut of the mixed team skeleton event, a new Olympic discipline that pairs one male and one female athlete per nation.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) oversees the Olympic Games and approves the sports program. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is the sport’s governing body responsible for the rules, qualification, and organization of skeleton competitions at all levels, including the Olympics. Let’s not forget the Milano-Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee, which serves as the IOC’s partner in organizing the Games.

Venue, Competitors’ Structure, and Prize Pool Overview for Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics

The skeleton events will be held at the Cortina Sliding Centre (officially,  Cortina Sliding Centre “Eugenio Monti”) in Cortina d’Ampezzo — a newly homologated sliding track for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton at the 2026 Winter Games.

A total of 50 athletes will compete across the three medal events in skeleton at Milano-Cortina 2026

• • 25 men
  • 25 women
  • Additionally, up to 20 mixed teams can enter the mixed team event using already-qualified athletes.

The IOC doesn’t pay prize money directly to athletes based on Olympic results, including in skeleton. Olympic medals (gold/silver/bronze) are symbolic, and no official cash prize is awarded by the IOC itself for finishing positions. Any monetary reward that athletes receive for winning medals at the Olympics is determined by their own country’s Olympic committee or government, and amounts vary widely between countries — some pay generous bonuses, others pay none.

Participating Athletes in Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics and Qualification Overview

Several national federations have now officially announced their Olympic skeleton competitors — here are some of the names confirmed for Milano-Cortina 2026:

Great Britain: Matt Weston, Marcus Wyatt, and Tabby Stoecker; United States: Austin Florian, Dan Barefoot, Kelly Curtis, and Mystique Ro; Belgium – Kim Meylemans…and so on.

While not all national teams have published their full rosters yet, based on the IBSF Olympic quota allocation and international ranking lists that determine eligibility, most of the top-ranked World Cup sliders are expected to compete. These will include athletes from countries such as Germany, Canada, Latvia, Switzerland, and Canada (team announced soon).

The complete 50-athlete list (25 men + 25 women) will be finalized shortly before the Games once all federations submit their Olympic entries.

Athletes earn Olympic quota spots through the IBSF ranking list during the 2025–26 season (including Skeleton World Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Europe Cup, and America Cup races), leading up to January 18, 2026:

• For men’s skeleton, athletes must be among the top-70 in the IBSF Ranking List by the end of the qualification period.
• For women’s skeleton, athletes must be in the top-55.
  Each nation can enter up to the number of quotas it has earned (a maximum of two per gender), and there are up to 25 sled spots per gender at the Olympics.

Once a nation earns quota spots through international rankings:

• Their national federation selects which athletes will fill those Olympic spots, usually based on performance in World Cup races and national trials.
• Confirmed names (e.g., the U.S. team and British team) reflect that internal selection process.

Structure and Competition Format of Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics

The Skeleton at Milano-Cortina 2026 is divided into three medal events (stages), each comprising multiple timed runs. Each individual competition spans two days, while the mixed team event is completed in one day:

Skeleton uses a time-based aggregate format, not head-to-head racing.

Individual events (men & women)

Format:

• 4 total runs per athlete
• 2 runs on day 1
• 2 runs on day 2

How results are decided:

• All four run times are added together
• The athlete with the lowest total combined time wins gold

Mixed team event format

Structure:

• Each team includes:
  • 1 male slider
  • 1 female slider

Format:

• Each athlete completes one run
• Their two times are combined
• Fastest combined team time wins

Skeleton has no elimination rounds. There are no heats, no brackets, and no head-to-head races. Instead, all qualified sliders complete every scheduled run and the full distance of the competition. The final ranking is determined solely by cumulative time.

Favorites in Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

Based on recent IBSF World Cup results, European Championships, consistency on technical tracks, and Olympic-level experience, these athletes are considered leading medal contenders:

Men’s skeleton favorites:

• Matt Weston (Great Britain). One of the fastest starters in the field.
• Axel Jungk (Germany). Very consistent top-tier performer.
• Christopher Grotheer (Germany). Former Olympic champion.
• Austin Florian (USA). Powerful push start.

Women’s skeleton favorites:

• Kim Meylemans (Belgium). European champion.
• Hannah Neise (Germany). Olympic gold medalist.
• Tabby Stoecker (Great Britain). Strong starter.
• Kelly Curtis (USA). Competitive World Cup performer.

Mixed team event favorites:

• Germany (top favorite)
• Great Britain (strong start specialist)
• USA (high acceleration advantage)

Skeleton betting is usually available at major Olympic sportsbooks during the Games. Availability depends on your country and regulations, but the following international bookmakers at top of the industry usually include skeleton events:

• Bet365 – Deep Winter Olympics coverage, live betting, head-to-head markets
• Betsson – Strong winter sports market depth
• Betway – Olympic medal markets and in-play coverage
• Stake – Crypto-friendly sportsbook with Olympic markets

Most common bet markets:

Outright winner

• Predict the gold medal winner (Men / Women / Mixed Team)
• Best suited for top favorites like Weston or Neise

Podium finish (top-3)

• Athlete must finish in medal positions
• Lower risk than outright betting

Head-to-head matchups

• Compare two sliders directly
• Winner is the athlete who finishes higher
• Popular due to consistent performance data

Fastest run / best single run

• Fastest individual run
• Best first-run performance

Country medal markets

• Total medals by country
• Skeleton-specific national performance bets

The following options are available for watching skeleton at Milano-Cortina 2026:

Global streaming via Olympics.com & Official Olympic App

• Live event streams
• Replays and highlights
• Multi-camera angles
• Live timing data

TV Broadcasters (by region)

Europe

• Eurosport / Discovery+
• National broadcasters such as:
  • RAI (Italy)
  • ARD/ZDF (Germany)
  • BBC (UK)
  • ORF (Austria)

North America

• NBC / Peacock (USA)
• CBC Sports (Canada)

Asia

• NHK (Japan)
• CCTV (China)

Pros and Cons of Favorites in Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics