Winter Olympics BBC TV schedule: presenter line-up, events and Team GB medal hopes

Curler Eve Muirhead helped Team GB win its only gold at the last games
David Hollingsworth
By David Hollingsworth

The Winter Olympics 2026 on the BBC is a must-watch for any fan of sport, with everything from curling to downhill skiing on offer.

In a massive bonus for British fans, this year’s games are being held in Italy, which means all the big events will happen at friendly times. You won’t need to set your alarm clock for the middle of the night to catch the action. Indeed, this is the first UK time friendly Winter Olympics since the games were last held in Italy 20 years ago!

So, while Brits aren’t exactly renowned for their abilities in winter sports we have had our heroes over the years. Most famously, ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won gold with perfect scores at the 1984 games. Plus, at the 2022 games in China, Eve Muirhead skippered her team to curling gold.

And who can forget Eddie the Eagle who battled the odds to become Britain’s first ever Olympic ski jumper.

Here’s everything we know about the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics including the BBC TV schedule.

Will the Winter Olympics be on the BBC?

Yes, unlike a lot of sport, the Winter Olympics will be free to watch on the BBC as long as you have a TV licence. From Friday, February 6 to Sunday, February 22, the BBC is promising 450 hours of live coverage!

The BBC says all the major events will be shown live. There will also be various shows with the highlights.

BBC One will screen live action between 9am to12 pm daily. Plus 2pm to 5.15pm.

Meanwhile, BBC Two will show live action between 1pm to 2pm. Plus, 5.15pm to 10pm.

Furthermore, a second live stream, Olympics Extra, will be available via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Coverage on Olympics Extra will be from 8am to 11pm.

Winter Olympics BBC TV schedule dates: sports including downhill skiing gold medal events

Swiss skier competes in downhill event at Olympics
The downhill skiing is always a highlight (Credit: Olympics official)

The BBC will be covering all of the action from the 16 disciplines that make up the Winter Olympics. Here’s all the different sports, when they’re on and what days the major medal events are. Please note we’ve not included practice days.

  • OPENING CEREMONY – Friday, February 6.
  • ALPINE SKIING – Saturday, February 7 to Wednesday, February 18. No events in that period on Friday, February 13 and Tuesday, February 17. Men’s downhill medal event is Saturday, February 7. Women’s downhill medal event is Sunday, February 8.
  • BIATHLON – Sunday, February 8 to Saturday, February 21. No events Monday, February 9; Thursday, February 12; Monday February 16 and Thursday, February 19.
  • BOBSLEIGH – Sunday, February 15 to Sunday, February 22.
  • CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING – Saturday, February 7 to Sunday, February 22. No events Monday, February 9, Wednesday, February 11; Monday, February 16 and Tuesday, February 17. Plus, no events on Thursday, February 19 and Friday, February 20.
  • CURLING – Wednesday, February 4 to Sunday, February 22. Men’s curling gold medal game is on Saturday, February 21. Women’s curling gold medal game is on Sunday, February 23.
  • FIGURE SKATING – Friday, February 6 to Thursday, February 19. No events on Thursday, February 12; Saturday, February 14 and Wednesday, February 18. Pair free skating final is on Monday, February 16.
  • FREESTYLE SKIING – Saturday, February 7 to Saturday, February 21. No events on Sunday, February 8 and Friday, February 13.

Winter Olympics BBC schedule: more event dates including men’s ice hockey final date

Snowboarder flying through air
Snowboarding sees competitors flying through the air (Credit: Olympics official)
  • ICE HOCKEY – Thursday, February 5 to Sunday, February 22. Women’s ice hockey final is on Thursday, February 19. Men’s ice hockey final is on Sunday, February 22.
  • LUGE – Saturday, February 7 to Thursday, February 12.
  • NORDIC COMBINED – Wednesday, February 11. Plus, Tuesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 19.
  • SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING – Tuesday, February 10; Thursday, February 12 and Saturday, February 14. Moreover, Monday February 16; Wednesday, February 18 and Friday, February 20.
  • SKELETON – Thursday, February 12 to Sunday, February 15.
  • SKI JUMPING – Saturday, February 7; Monday, February 9 and Tuesday February, 10. Plus, Saturday, February 14; Sunday, February 15 and Monday, February 16.
  • SKI MOUNTAINEERING – Thursday, February 19 and Saturday, February 21.
  • SNOWBOARDING – Thursday, February 5 to Wednesday, February 18. No events on Friday, February 6; Tuesday, February 10 and Saturday, February 14.
  • SPEEDSKATING – Saturday, February 7 to Saturday, February 21. No events on Tuesday, February 10; Monday, February 16 and Wednesday, February 18.
  • CLOSING CEREMONY – Sunday, February 22.

Who’s hosting the BBC’s Winter Olympics coverage?

BBC Winter Olympics hosts Hazel Irvine, Clare Balding, Jeanette Kwakye
Presenters Hazel Irvine, Clare Balding, Jeanette Kwakye (Credit: BBC)

Three stars are anchoring the BBC’s Winter Olympics coverage. They are Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine and Jeanette Kwakye. Clare is well known on the BBC, taking over from Sue Barker in 2023 as the lead presenter on the broadcaster’s Wimbledon coverage. Furthermore, Clare recently featured on Celebrity Traitors.

Setting up the BBC’s coverage, Claire says: “This time we will be on site for presentation and reporting which means we can get close to the action and be able to tell the stories in greater depth with more personal interaction.”

Hazel Irvine has helped present the BBC’s Olympic coverage at both the summer and winter games for many years. She’s also well known to snooker fans for fronting the World Snooker Championship.

Finally, Jeanette Kwakye is a retired sprinter. She took part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Jeantte has fronted the BBC’s World Athletics Championship coverage. Furthermore, Jeanette has co-hosted The Martin Lewis Money Show.

Which Brits have a chance of winning a medal?

Team GB won two medals at the last games both in curling, a gold and a silver. And they have a good chance in the events again.

Arguably the British team’s best hope is Matt Weston in the skeleton. The 28-year-old slider is favourite, while his teammate Marcus Wyatt also has a chance. In the women’s event Tabby Stoecker should be competitive.

Snowboarder Mia Brookes won the slopestyle title in 2023 aged just 16, making her the youngest ever world champion. She is in the running in the snowboarding along with Charlotte Bankes.

Meanwhile, Brad Hall has been in fine form in the bobsleigh. BBC Winter Olympics presenter Clare Balding says: “The mood in the Team GB camp is very positive so I hope we will see a lot of home success.”

Who are the experts?

Close up of Fire from Gladiators (Montell Douglas)
Montell Douglas, aka Fire from Gladiators, joins the expert team (Credit: BBC)

Among the BBC Winter Olympics experts is Vicky Wright, who won curling gold for Great Britain at the last games. She will help viewers understand events with bobsledder Montell Douglas, also known as Fire from Gladiators.

Britain’s greatest Winter Olympian, the two‑time Skeleton gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold, is also part of the team.

Among the commentators is former Olympic athlete Steve Cram and former Olympic skier Graham Bell.

Who hosts the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Italy hosts the 2026 Winter Olympics. This is the third time the Italians have hosted the winter games; the last time was in Turin 2006. Italy has only hosted the summer games once, which was in Rome in 1960.

Two cities host the games. They are the city of Milan and the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Alps. The ice events, like figure skating and ice hockey, are in Milan. Meanwhile, the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo will have events like the bobsleigh and luge.

When does the 2026 Winter Games start and end?

The 2026 Winter Olympics take place from Friday, February 6 to Sunday, February 22. The opening ceremony is on Friday, February 6 and the closing ceremony is on Sunday, February 22.

To fit everything in, some events, like the curling, actually start before the games officially opens!

The Paralympic Winter Games follow afterwards, from Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 15.

Meanwhile, the official mascot for the Winter Olympics is a white stoat called Tina. Her younger brother Milo is the mascot for the Paralympic Winter Games.

Are there any new events?

Yes, the one new event is ski mountaineering. You ski or walk up a hill, depending on the steepness of the slope. Then on the downhill parts of course, you can ski down.

Expect races to be fast and exciting. Each race only lasts about three and a half minutes. There will be a men’s sprint, a women’s sprint and a mixed relay. The sport is also known as SkiMo.

The next Winter Olympics will be held in 2030 in the French Alps.

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The BBC’s Winter Olympics coverage will air from Friday, February 6 to Sunday, February 22 on BBC One and BBC Two. Plus BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.