Olympic Solidarity Powers Athletes to Historic Medals at Milano Cortina 2026
International Olympic Committee news
Many athletes have achieved groundbreaking results at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Among them are 249 Olympic Solidarity scholarship-holders from 74 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) across six sports, who qualified for the Games with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Together, they have achieved everything from Olympic gold medals to historic firsts. In total, 17 medals (3 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze) have been won by Olympic scholarship-holders.
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Key facts
- 17 medals (3 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze) have been won by athletes amongst the 249 qualified scholarship-holders from 74 NOCs across six sports.
- 54 earned diplomas for placing between fourth and eighth in their event.
- Olympic Solidarity aims to level the playing field by redistributing IOC revenues to support athletes and NOCs most in need. It contributes essential funding towards equipment, training costs and travel to international competitions during athletes’ journeys to the Games.
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Powered by Olympic Solidarity
When ski mountaineer Oriol Cardona Coll crossed the line in first place in the final of the men’s sprint event in Bormio, he made history in a number of ways.
Not only did he become the first male Olympic champion in the sport, which made its debut at Milano Cortina 2026, but he also delivered Spain’s first gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games since 1972 – and only their second in Winter Games history. The significance of the achievement was not lost on the 31-year-old from the Pyrenees.
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Coll and his teammate Ana Alonso Rodriguez, who made some history of her own with bronze in the women’s sprint, are two of 249 athletes who qualified for Milano Cortina 2026 thanks to the support of Olympic Solidarity.
The two scholarship-holders teamed up to secure a brilliant bronze medal in the ski mountaineering mixed relay, delivering a strong performance and earning their second medal of the Games.
Among the other standout performances from Olympic scholarship-holders, Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa bounced back from big air disappointment to earn a silver medal in the men’s snowboard slopestyle, while New Zealand’s Luca Harrington won bronze in freestyle skiing slopestyle.
"I think that wave of emotion that hit, that I was actually the bronze medallist, came from so deep inside me,” reflected Harrington. “It's come from my whole experience, my whole journey. I am so grateful for every opportunity that has led me here."
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Historic medals for Georgia and Bulgaria
Before Milano Cortina 2026, Georgia had never won a medal at the Olympic Winter Games, but that all changed in the pairs figure skating event. After winning the European title in January, scholarship-holder Luka Berulava and his partner Anastasiia Metelkina kept up their strong form, placing second in the short programme at the Milano Ice Skating Arena before delivering a brilliant free skate to clinch the silver medal.
Over at Anterselva, 22-year-old biathlete Lora Hristova upstaged more decorated opponents in the women’s 15km individual event to finish third and win Bulgaria’s first Olympic medal in the sport since 2002, and one of only two for her country at Milano Cortina 2026.
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Olympic Winter Games debuts
For other athletes, just qualifying for Milano Cortina 2026 was their Olympic medal, and in many of those cases it would have been impossible for them to achieve their dream without the support they received to get there from Olympic Solidarity.
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Alpine skiers Alexander Astridge and Piera Hudson, from the United Arab Emirates, and Nathan Tchibizo from Benin made history as the first athletes from their countries to compete at the Olympic Winter Games – and both their NOCs were supported on their trailblazing journeys by Olympic Solidarity.
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Helping power the home team
Scholarship-holders Elisa Confortola and Thomas Nadalini helped the hosts get off to a flying start as part of the gold medal-winning short track mixed relay team, while in Livigno, Flora Tabanelli became the first Italian woman to win an Olympic medal in freestyle skiing, completing an unlikely comeback from an ACL injury that had put her Games participation in doubt.
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"It's an honour and a unique feeling to be the first (Italian) woman to win an Olympic medal in freestyle,” said the 18-year-old, who won bronze in a thrilling big air final. “I think it's also to inspire others, to inspire younger people to start this sport and to do sport in general, because it's what makes me live every day to the fullest.”
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In all, 449 athletes from 90 NOCs received Olympic Solidarity scholarships during the Milano Cortina 2026 qualification period, which helped to cover essential training, equipment and competition costs. In addition to individual athlete scholarships, seven NOCs with larger delegations also benefitted from tailored support provided through Olympic Solidarity, giving them greater flexibility in allocating resources when preparing their athletes throughout the qualification period. In total, 97 NOCs benefitted from Olympic Solidarity support on the road to Milano Cortina 2026.
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Complementing this individual-focused assistance, Olympic Solidarity also provides Team Support Grants, enabling NOCs to select national teams for targeted technical and financial support as they prepare for Olympic qualification. For Milano Cortina 2026, curling and ice hockey teams from 10 NOCs benefitted from this support, with eight teams ultimately qualifying for the Games. Standout results include Team Sweden, who narrowly missed out on the bronze medal, finishing fourth in the women’s ice hockey tournament; Team Czechia, who finished fifth in the same tournament; and Team Germany, who placed seventh in the men’s curling competition.
